/oss/taxonomy/term/3776/all en /oss/article/technology/under-microscope-graphite <p>Pencils do not contain any lead, and they never did! The mistake in terminology can be traced back to the ancient Romans who drew lines on papyrus using pieces of actual lead, all the while not realizing it was incredibly toxic. Considering its toxicity, it’s really good that pencils never did contain lead. Could you imagine how much a child could ingest while chewing on their pencil?<br /></p> Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:15:44 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7700 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/pencils-never-contained-lead <p>This may come as a shock to some people but lead pencils do not contain any lead.  Never did.</p> Thu, 23 Feb 2017 03:20:30 +0000 joe Schwarcz PhD 1523 at /oss