So you've heard about the dangers of lead based paint, and even miniblinds. But did you know that your cellphone is fast becoming part of the largest lead toxin release problems in the world? Piezoelectric speakers, like the one above use an electro-mechanically active ceramic called PZT (Lead Zirconium Titanate) in order to produce vibrations, and sounds for your cell phone's ringer, and other products like firestarters, alarms, and even some guitar pickups. When these items get thrown out, so does the lead, an estimated 310,000 pounds of it in the phones from now till 2005 alone! While the search has been on for a viable alternative, no ceramic had been found which could match the response of PZT. But last week it was announced that researchers at the Toyota R&D Laboratories and at the DENSO Corp. in Japan had created a material which is lead free, but has comparable properties. This could be another key step in reducing the huge impact of the electronics industry on the environment.