<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.3700.6699" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi all,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That lead represents a health hazard is = not a new idea. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>It is particularly harmful to = small children whose mental development seems to be hampered by continued = exposure to lead. Their liver seems to be at risk as well.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This said, I wonder just how exposed = lead in piano keys really is. Most lead related health warnings concentrate on sources = such as old stripped lead paint, especially if scraped and sanded, thus = producing harmful dust containing lead that can be easily absorbed by the = organism. Frankly speaking, the inquisitive piano tech seems more at risk here to me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Be it as it may, this issue does not = seem to me to be such a major obstacle to proper action performance. Can not something = else be substituded for lead, steel for example ?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jean-Jacques Granas</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Warsaw</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>