system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why was lead (Pb) so widely used before people discovered it was toxic?

What properties of lead make it so useful that it’s in paint, glassware, pipes, etc.?
gpt
It's very common in nature, easily mined, easily processed, very malleable - easy to make things from.
On top of that, it has chemical properties that make it useful in various applications, which were discovered by trial and error over time.