QuickCheck: Do pencils contain actual lead?

EVEN in this day and age, pencils still remain the go-to writing implement for primary schools pupils. Artists still love to do sketches with pencils as they see it as a very versatile drawing media capable of dark shadows and light strokes. Pencil lead however, might cause some to worry as lead is a well known poison that can cause developmental problems in kids and irreversible damage to organs such as your kidneys and even your brain.

But is it true that the lead in pencils is the same as metal lead that can poison you?