CONTAMINANT/POLLUTANT CHARACTERISTISTICS

Contaminant/Pollutant: Lead/ Plumbum (Pb)

Location in Periodic Table: Group IV A (14)
Period 6

1. Physical Characteristics
Lead is a main-group element with symbol Pb (Latin: plumbum)
and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also
considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-
white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color
when exposed to air. It has a shiny chrome-silver luster when
melted into a liquid. Another physical properties of lead are:

 Phase :solid
 Density (near r.t.) :11.34 g·cm−3
 Liquid density at m.p. :10.66 g·cm−3
 Melting point : 600.61 K, 327.46 °C, 621.43 °F
 Boiling point :2022 K, 1749 °C, 3180 °F
 Heat of fusion :4.77 kJ·mol−1
 Heat of vaporization :179.5 kJ·mol−1
 Specific heat capacity :(25 °C) 26.650 J·mol−1·K−1
 Vapor pressure:
P/Pa 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T/K 978 1088 1229 1412 1660 2027

References: _______.Lead. Diakses dari www.wikipedia.com

pada tanggal 9 oktober 2009

2. Source of Contaminant/Pollutant
 Industrial wastes
 mining
 fuels (gasoline)
 lead in paint, Lead-based paint is still available for
industrial, military and marine use and occasionally ends
up being used in homes.
 water distribution systems (pipe)
 food, Lead has contaminated foods from improper canning
procedures, cooking foods in cans with soldered seams,
and serving foods in plates or containers that contain lead

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 or have lead containing coatings on their surfaces.
 lead used in hobby activities.

References Radojevic, Nirqslav and N. Pashkin, Vladmir.

: Practical Enviromental Analysis.1999. Cambridge:
Royal society of chemistry

Kinder, Carolyn. Lead Contamination In Our

Environment. diakses dari www.yale.edu pada
tanggal 1 oktober 2009

3. Relavant Reactions (Chemical Characteristics)

1. Dilute hydrochloric acid
Pb2+ + 2Cl- PbCl2
2. Hydrogen sulfide in neutral or dilute acid medium: black
precipitate of lead sulfide.
Pb2+ + H2S PbS +2H+
3. ammonia solution: white precipitate of lead hydroxide
Pb2+ + 2NH3 + 2H2O  Pb(OH)2 + 2NH4
The precipitate is not soluble in excess reagen
4. Sodium hydroxide: white precipitate of lead hydroxide
Pb2+ + 2OH-  Pb(OH)2
5. Dilute sulfuric acid or soluble sulfate: white precipitate of lead
sulfate
Pb2+ +SO42-  PbSO4
6. Potassium Chromate in neutral acetic acid or ammonia
solution: yellow precipitate
Pb2+ + Cr2O42-  PbCrO4
7. Potassium iodide: yellow precipitate of lead iodide
Pb2+ + 2I-  PbI2
8. Sodium sulfite in neutral solution: white precipitate of lead
sulfite
Pb2+ + SO32+  PbSO3
9. Sodium carbonate: white precipitate of a mixture of lead
carbonate and lead hydroxide
2Pb2+ +2CO32- +H2O  Pb(OH)2 + PbCO3 +CO2
10. Potassium cyanide: white precipitate of lead cyanide
Pb2+ + 2CN-  Pb(CN)2

Reaction in the burning of gasoline

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Pb(C2H5)4 + O2 + Halogenated scavengers  CO2 + H2O + PbCl2 +
PbClBr + PbBr2

References: Manahan, Stanley E. 1994. Environmental

Chemistry.
Vogel, Arthur I. Vogel`s Text Book of Macro
and semimicro qualitative inorganic analysis.
London: Butter and Tanner, Ltd.
_______.Lead. Diakses dari www.wikipedia.com
pada tanggal 9 oktober 2009

4. Species Changes (Chemical Characteristics)

Lead in environment is generally present as inorganic Pb 2+.

Organometallic lead compounds such as tetramethyllead,
(CH3)4Pb, trimethyllead, (CH3)3. Pb+, and dimethyllead, (CH3)2Pb2+
are present at much lower concentration than inorganic lead.
These may result from the emission and degradation of some of
tetraalkyllead added to petrol or the biological methylation of
inorganic lead in sediments. Lead is added to petrol as a mixture
of tetramethyl and tetraethyllead, but most of this is converted to
inorganic lead salts during combustion. A small fraction may be
emitted in organometalic form and this is eventually degraded to
inorganic lead in the environment:
R4Pb  R3Pb+  R2Pb2+  Pb2+
Where R is CH3 or C2H5

References: Radojevic, Miroslav and Bashkin, Vladimir, N.

1999. Practical environmental Analysis.
Cornwall: MPG Book, Ltd.

5. Transfer (Traces in the System & Water - air - land

Pollution)

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In water, lead is come from metallurgy industry, it is toxic in Pb-
arsenate form. Pb also come from the corrosion process of lead
bearing alloys. Sometimes, Pb is found in complex form with
organic compound like hexaethyl lead and tetra alkyl lead

In air, Pb commonly come from gasoline burning. Pb- organic

compound like Pb-tetraehyl and Pb-tetramethyl is used as
additive substance in the gasoline to increase the octan number.
Pb-tetraehyl and Pb-tetramethyl is form as liquid with boiling
point 110 ºC dan 200 ºC. Because the evaporation ability of both
compound are lower than another element in gasoline, so the
gasoline evaporation will make Pb-tetraehyl and Pb-tetramethyl
more concentrate. Those compound will be decomposition in their
boiling point with the present of sun shine and another chemical
compound in the air like halogen acid or oxidator.

Pb enter the soil is caused by using of chemical material, rain or

sedimentation, and by waste. In soil, Pb is found in mobile and
immobile form. In mobile form, Pb is toxic and can be absorbed
by plant. In immobile form, Pb is fasten with organic compound,
hara, or another inorganic compound. If Pb enter the soil
environment it will be balancing in soil, and than it will be absorb
by root, and than will distribute to another plant part.
References: Charlena. 2004. Pencemaran Logam Berat
Timbal (pb) dan Cadmium (cd) pada Sayur-
Sayuran. Diakses dari www.rudyct.com pada

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 tanggal 9 oktober 2009.
_________. 2009. Pencemaran Pb (Timbal) -
Sumber Pencemar Timbal (Pb) dan Alur
Pajanan. Diakses dari www.bplhdjabar.go.id
pada tanggal 1 oktober 2009.

6. Toxicological Effects
Generally, toxicological effect of lead contamination are:
 Increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
 Mental retardation
 Anemia
 Decreased renal function
 Headaches
 Sore muscle
 Fell generally fatigued
 Irritable

Especially toxicological effect for children and adults are:

- If not detected early, children with high levels of lead in
their bodies can suffer from:
 Damage to the brain and nervous system
 Behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity)
 Slowed growth
 Hearing problems
 Headaches
 inattentive
 irritable

- Lead is also harmful to adults. Adults can suffer from:

 Difficulties during pregnancy
 Other reproductive problems (in both men and women)
 High blood pressure
 Digestive problems
 Nerve disorders
 Memory and concentration problems
 Muscle and joint pain
Toxicity study of lead showed amount of lead on children’s blood
affected:
Amount of Lead on Blood Effect

43
100 mikrogram/l
450 mikrogram/l
More than 700 mikrogram/l
More than 1200 mikrogram/l
Growth and behavior disease
Needs immediate treatment
within 48 hours
Needs medical emergency
Very toxic, cause death

References: Friedman, D.J. 2006. How does Lead Enter the

Human Body? What are the Effects of Lead
Poisoning?. Diakses dari www.inspect-ny.com
pada tanggal 1 oktober 2009

Kinder, Carolyn. Lead Contamination In Our

Environment. diakses dari www.yale.edu pada
tanggal 1 oktober 2009

Nasution, Fuad Arif. Bahaya Timbal.

Departement Teknik Lingkungan ITB. Diakses
dari http://www.fishyforum.com pada tanggal
04 maret 2011.

7. Identification (Qualitative)
To identify lead qualitatively:
 Using Dithizone by extraction and continue with
chromatography
 Pb2+ can be identified by using H2S in neutral or acid
condition. The result (PbS) will give black precipitate.
Pb2+ + H2S  PbS + 2H+
 Using Galosianina. It will give deep violet precipitate of
unknown composition. The test is applicable to finely
divided lead sulfate precipitated in filter paper.
Place one drop of the test solution upon the drop-
reaction paper, and followed by one drop of aqueous
pyridine 1% and one drop of gallocyanine reagent (blue).
Remove the excess of reagent by placing several filter
papers beneath drop-reaction paper and adding drops of
the pyridine solution to the spot until the wash liquid
percolating through is colorless, move the filter paper to
fresh position after addition of pyridine. A deep-violet spot
is produced.

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References: Sembiring, Tini. 2004. Studi Penggunaan
Ditizon Untuk Analisa Kualitatif Logam
Kadmium, Kobalt, Nikel, Timbal Dan Seng
Secara Ekstraksi. Diakses dari digilib.itb.ac.id
pada tanggal 9 oktober 2009.

Vogel, Arthur I. Vogel`s Text Book of Macro

and semimicro qualitative inorganic analysis.
London: Butter and Tanner, Ltd.

8. Identification (Quantitative, including the basic

principles of reactions and instrument/eqipment
manuals)

Materials:
- Nitric acid, concentrated
- Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS)

Experimental procedure:
Prepare a series of calibration standards for Pb metal over the
desired range over the desired range by pipetting aliquots of the
1000 mg L-1 standard solution into a series of volumetric flasks
(50 or 100 mL). Add 1 mL of concentrated nitric acid to flask and
dilute to the mark. Switch on the AAS,select the appropriate
hollow cathode lamp and adjust the lamp current to the
recommended in the instrument manual. Set the monochromator
and slit setting to the recommended value. Fine tune the
wavelength setting and align the beam. Turn on the fume hood
and switch on the flame according to the recommended or
demonstrator to the recommended procedure.
Aspirate sample, standard and blank into flame of AAS equipped
with the appropriate hollow cathode lamp and operating at the
wavelength recommended for Pb being analysed. Record the
absorbance values for each standard and sample, or better still,
use a chart recorder to record the peak heights for each of the
standard and samples. Aspirate laboratory water between
measurements and allow the reading to return to a stable baselin
before taking the next measurement. If using a chart recorder,
measure the peak height from the baseline. Construct a
calibration graph by plotting the absorbance, or peak height in

45
cm, measured with standards against Pb concentration.
Standards which have been made are standard-1: 10 ppm,
standard-2: 20 ppm, Standard-3: 40 ppm, standard-4: 60 ppm,
standard-5: 80 ppm.Read off the concentration in the samples
from the graph using the corrected reading obtained with
samples. Calculate the concentration in the original as follows:
[metal] mg L-1 in sample = C x V1/V2
Where C is the concentration in mg L-1 of the metal on the final
extract, V1 is the volume of the final extract (50 mL in this
procedure), and V2 is the volume of original sample in mL

References: Radojevic, Miroslav and Bashkin, Vladimir, N.

1999. Practical environmental Analysis.
Cornwall: MPG Book, Ltd.

9. Relating Law and Penalty

- PP No. 43 tahun 2008 tentang air tanah

- UU No. 7 tahun 2004 tentang sumber daya air pasal 5 yang
berbunyi “Negara menjamin hak setiap orang mendapatkan
air bagi kebutuhan pokok minimal sehari-hari guna
memenuhi kehidupan yang sehat, bersih, dan produktif
- UU No. 14 Tahun 1992 tentang angkutan jalan pada pasal
50
Untuk mencegah pencemaran udara yang dapat
mengganggu kelestarian lingkungan hidup, setiap
kendaraan bermotor wajib memenuhi persyaratan angkatan
batas emisi gas buang.
- Kep. Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup No. KEP 35/MENLH/
10/1993 tentang ambang batas emisi gas buang kendaraan
bermotor.
Dalam pasal 1 dinyatakan bahwa ambang batas emisi gas
buang kendaraan bermotor adalah batas maksimum zat
dalam bahan pencemaran yang telah dikeluarkan langsung
dari pipa gas buang kendaraan bermotor.
- UU No. 23 Tahun 1997 tentang pengelolaan lingkungan
hidup yang menjamin atas lingkungan hidup yang baik dan
sehat.
- Menindak lanjuti UU No. 23 Tahun 1997 pemerintah
mengeluarkan Peraturan Pemerintah No. 41 tahun 1999
tentang pengendalian pencemaran udara.
- Pada tahun 1997/1998, Indonesia telah melarang
peredaran timbal dalam gasoline dan menggantinya

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 dengan bensin yang bebas timbal (Hamonangan 2004).

The normal threshold of lead:

Substances Threshold of lead
Water 50 mg/l
Blood 40 mg/dl

References: Sutisna Prawira. 2009. Lokakarya

Pendayagunaan Air Tanah Berbasis Cekungan
Air Tanah. Diakses dari www.esdm.go.id pada
tanggal 8 oktober 2009

Yuliani , Dewi. 2007. Air Tanah dan Peran

Masyarakat. Diakses dari www.dunia-air.com
pada tanggal 8 oktober 2009

10. Solving Ideas (prevention and cure)

Prevention:
 Use biomass R.arrhizus and A.niger to absorb lead (Pb) ion
before throw to water.
 Prevent children from lead
 There are several ways to prevent it:
1. get information from the government about
consentration of lead on water.
2. use cold water to make formula milk, and let it flow by
water when it wash. Or heat the water without using
heating system.
3. wash their hand before eat
4. use plate that free from lead
5. broom the floor regulary from dust
6. don’t use food in can. Some can contain lead.
7. wash their toys
8. don’t plant plants in soil that contain a garbage.
9. prevent them from things that have peel of its paint.
10. get the inform from the government regulary
Cure:
 Use Fixing Bacteria of heavy metal of lead (Pb) to bind lead
for example: Enhydrobacter, Morrococcus,

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 Phenylobacterium,
 Using shell of crustacea (shrimp and crab) that produce
chitin and chitosan to absorb the lead ion from water and it
can become ion exchange

References: Carolyn Kinder. 2009. Lead ContaminanIn Our

Environment. Diakses dari www.yale.edu pada
tanggal 9 oktober 2009

Marganov.2003. Potensi Limbah Udang Sebagai

Penyerap Logam berat (Timbal, Kadmium dan
Tembaga) di Perairan. Diakses dari rudyct.com
pada tanggal 9 Oktober 2009

Santi, Nuraini Devi. 2001. Pencemaran Udara

Oleh Timbal (Pb)Serta Penanggulangannya.
Diakses dari lybrari.usu.ac.id pada tanggal 9
oktober 2009.

Wulandari, Sri, dkk. 2005. Identifikasi bakteri

pengikat timbal (pb) Pada sedimen di perairan
sungai siak 14.Jurnal diakses dari biologi-
fkip.unri.ac.id pada tanggal 9 oktober 2009.

Yayasan Tambuhuk Sinta 2010 and DHOCNY

2007.diakses tanggal 1o maret 2011.

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