Lead Safety

[AlaskaMike]

Now that I've been casting and reloading for awhile now, I decided to get a blood test to see what my lead exposure has been. My results came back with a value of 19 mcg/Dl which is apparently a little on the high side, but not horrifically bad.

I've done some brief searching here to see what threads there may be that deal with this subject, but came up dry. I'd be curious to know what methods the experienced casters here use to mitigate lead exposure. I'm already doing obvious stuff like cast only outside with good ventilation, always wash my hands extremely well after any casting/loading/shooting activity, never eat or drink while casting/reloading/shooting, etc. All my shooting is done outdoors as well.

Any other simple things you guys do that make a difference?

Thanks,
Mike

[357maximum]

I use a recycled oven hood over my casting area, and vent it outside the barn wall...my wife is a nurse and she has me checked every now and again...so far so good...

[Uncle R.]

One possible culprit is your fired cases and your case tumbler or other cleaning proces. I've read that primer residue is high in lead and that case tumblers (and especially sifting the tumbler media from finished cases) can release airborne lead at high levels. Just another thing to be aware of.
Uncle R.

[versifier]

1) Keep the temperature as low as possible. When smelting, it's smart to keep it low to avoid zinc contamination anyway. If you have properly fluxed your smelted metal before pouring ingots, there's no reason you can't cast indoors with some intelligent forethought. The vaporization point of lead is a lot higher than the optimal casting temperature range, even for pure lead, and most of the commercial casting pots won't go that high anyway. Hoods and vents add an extra measure of safety, too. Casting outside would be great, but often it is just not practical in much of the country due to weather and temperature extremes.

2) I think the single most hazardous source of airborne particulate lead is the case tumbler and the media used in it. Bear in mind that metallic (particulate) lead has to be ingested to get into your system. If you are breathing the dust, it will stick to the mucus membranes in your mouth and throat, and you will swallow it. It finds its way to your stomach, reacts there with the HCl, and oxidizes. In that form, it goes right into your system.

3) The next big source that many overlook is Lead Oxide, the yellow powder residue left on the inside of your casting pot. It is extremely dangerous, and much more toxic and easily assimilable than metallic lead. Lead oxide powder can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested. It is more soluble than the metallic form, and goes fairly easily into a water solution. It was used for many years as a paint pigment and fixative but the negative health effects only began to be recognized midway through the last century.

Basic hygiene is very important, too, no question about it. No eating, drinking, or smoking while working with lead/lead alloys and keep your hands washed. Avoid rubbing your eyes, picking your nose, scratching your..... well, you get the idea. [smilie=1: Awareness is the key.

[Pepe Ray]

Our hobbie is not the only place in suspect.
The first thing I'd do is have my water tested. Even if yoou have public water it still must go thru your private plumbing. Sweat copper joints are a common source. Take a look at your work/employment enviroment. Just a few options.
Pepe Ray

[357maximum]

Our hobbie is not the only place in suspect.
The first thing I'd do is have my water tested. Even if yoou have public water it still must go thru your private plumbing. Sweat copper joints are a common source. Take a look at your work/employment enviroment. Just a few options.
Pepe Ray

That is a waaaay understated excellent point....You would be amazed at the amount ofactivelead pipe in the ground, and going from the water main to housing in old parts of most cities....trust me on this one...when you rip through it and water sprays out then they replace it...not until then....till that point no one knows or cares...appparently...

[nathan99]

Keep a separate set of clothes/boilersuit to wear only when casting, and which should not be brought into the house afterwards.

Better still, strip them off outside, then take a shower straight away.

If you are picking up contamination from dust, vapour etc. then it will be contaminating your outer clothing. Don't bring this into the house and contaminate your family too.

Do not wash these clothes at the same time as ordinary ones, do them separately to minimise cross contamination.

Be particularly careful with the dross you skim off the top of the pot. This is the worst stuff, full of lead oxides and other nasties (antimony is not nice either). Dispose of it carefully into e.g an old paint tin and put the lid on afterwards.

Keep your work area clean and dust free. Vacuum and or wipe down all surfaces, including the floor, regularly.

[DLCTEX]

Unless you have a hepa filter vacuum, I would be hesitant to risk the dust particles becoming airborne through the vacuum. My dos centavos. Dale:roll:

[454PB]

I've been casting and shooting for 35 years, with no extraordinary precautions, and my blood lead level is below the OSHA minimum threshholds. Granted, some people are just more apt to ingest and hold lead in their systems, just as some can smoke for 50 years without developing cancer.

Unless you had a baseline lead test before you ever started casting, you don't really know what the source might be, and perhaps it was elevated even before you started. The soldered joints in plumbing already mentioned and improper glazing on imported tableware have been known to cause lead poisoning and elevated blood lead levels.

In my case, I had to be tested because of an incident at work where it was suspected that I and my crew where exposed to lead based paint dust. Interestingly, two of guys had higher lead levels than I did, and neither are casters.

I'm actually bothered more by the idea of shooting into a headwind, where the smoke is blown back into your face. You are then breathing both the lead particles from the boolit, and the lead used in the primer.

[MT Gianni]

Our hobbie is not the only place in suspect.
The first thing I'd do is have my water tested. Even if yoou have public water it still must go thru your private plumbing. Sweat copper joints are a common source. Take a look at your work/employment enviroment. Just a few options.
Pepe Ray

The clean water act of 1996 or 1997 mandated lead free solder from that date on anything installed new. anything before that date if it is copper and sweated probably has lead solder joints. [50-50 is the most common] No one seems to have issues with zinc or galvanized fittings though smoke of these will mess you up big time if you weld on it. If you test high look for sources and or have your water tested. I would retest a high test inside of 6 months to see if you are doing anything different or if it is just your retention
The EPA proposed standard for clean up of an industrial sight was 4-5 parts per billion, a few years ago. They then found in most areas virgin land would not meet that and backed off much to the dismay of certain groups from both coasts. 4-5 parts per million would be somewhat doable. No concensus has been reached today. Gianni.

[AlaskaMike]

I'm actually bothered more by the idea of shooting into a headwind, where the smoke is blown back into your face. You are then breathing both the lead particles from the boolit, and the lead used in the primer.

454PB, this is actually something that happens relatively frequently at the range I shoot at because of its orientation relative to surrounding hills and flat land. Part of my cleanup routine before I leave is to blow my nose, and it's always gray from the inhaled smoke. That, along with the dust from my tumbler have been the two things that I've been worried about most with regard to lead exposure. You're absolutely right about the need for a baseline test--I actually thought about doing that before I started casting, but didn't.

I've tried adding about an ounce of water to media in my tumbler, and while it did a great job at cutting the visible dust, I had a couple of .44 mag cases which contained clumps of hard dried media. If anybody has a tip on how to avoid that, I'd love to hear it.

I had no idea that the powder in the pot was so dangerous. I've been using my little RCBS cast iron pot to hold the dross I scoop out of my bottom-pour pot. I've got a couple of metal coffee cans with lids, so I'll start using one of those I think.

I also had no idea that lead-free solder was such a recent thing. My house was built in 1983, so I figured I didn't have to worry about that. Certainly nothing like lead pipes in the house though. City water lines are another deal, but from what I understand they used wooden water mains here in Anchorage early on (and some are still actually in use I believe, but I may be wrong)

Thanks for all the great stuff so far! I'm going to get another test done in about a month, and I'll see where I'm at then. Although a lot of this sounds like gloom and doom, I'm really not too worried about it--this just tells me I need to make some changes. I'm just kicking myself a bit for not getting a baseline test done before I started casting.

Mike

[Slowpoke]

[QUOTE=
I've tried adding about an ounce of water to media in my tumbler, and while it did a great job at cutting the visible dust, I had a couple of .44 mag cases which contained clumps of hard dried media. If anybody has a tip on how to avoid that, I'd love to hear it.


Mike[/QUOTE]



You might want to try about a half ounce of mineral spirits instead of the water.

Let it run for a while before you add your brass, when the media is turning over at a good rate then add the brass.

Another thing that I think helps with lead dust is to rinse your brass in vinegar and then water and then into the tumbler when pretty much dry. Something about most of the lead being turned into lead acetate by the vinegar, not a chemist but ---- .

I have always ran my tumbler outside, rain or shine cold or hot, when I dump it I take a deep breath and hold it and keep the breeze at my back.

good luck

[PatMarlin]

If you're blowing your nose and getting gray snot, I would definitely look there as the culprit and not casting. I'm sellling my media vibrator and getting a rock tumbler and use a cleaning solution. Dry media tumbling indoors is REAL bad.

I bought a lead testing kit to test some dishes. Haven't used it yet. One ceramic coffee mug in particular has got me wondering.

[454PB]

I mentioned the tableware because I read a story several years ago about a woman that had severe lead poisoning that nearly killed her. Her husband was desperate since the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong....lead poisoning has so many symptoms, yet somehow they missed them. He began researching on his own, and eventually found the culprit. This couple had bought some decorative coffee cups while on a trip (I forget which country) and the wife drank hot tea frequently from one of these cups. The husband had it analyzed and found that it was painted with a lead based paint and improperly glazed.

I own a very nice vibratory case cleaner that I haven't used in years. I find it easier to dump the brass in a plastic container with some water soluble degreasing cleaner and hot water, let it soak a while, and then rinse it thoroughly. It's not as shiney and pretty as the tumbled stuff, but I don't have to worry about lead dust and inspecting/probing every single flash hole.

[johnho]

I just ordered three N100 respirator filters for using around my tumbling media when seperating cases from the media. I noticed a large amount of airborne dust. The N100 should filter out all airborne particles as this respirator is the maximum you can get as a face mask. They were only about $7 each and seemed like a simple, quick and cheap solution.

My lead level has dropped recently from 16 to 14 by just using latex gloves to load. Maybe that didn't do anything as this change doesn't seem significant to me. However, I checked a while ago on OSHA standards and they don't get excited until the lead level is in excess of 40.

So what's the right number to get concerned about? I don't know. NY State says 6, my blood work results say anything over 10 is too high, OSHA says over 40 could cause problems and needs monitoring. Maybe there is no correct answer but only opinions with no basis except guesses.

As there doesn't seem to be any consitency I have decided to protect myself when I can and continue to monitor my lead level. If it stays where it is I won't worry about it. I don't beleive in taking unnecessary risk but I don't know if there's a risk in the first place. Seems like lots of other "facts" offered by the "scientific and medical communittee" that are opinions more than facts.
John

[Cloudpeak]

I put "NU Finsih" car wax and fabric softner strips in with my tumbler media and have no problems with dust when tumbling or shaking and straining the media from the brass.

Cloudpeak

[MT Gianni]

AlaskaMike, lead free solder was available before 96 just not mandated for use in drinking water. If you figure the amount of solder exposed past the flux joint into water flow it is pretty minimal IMHO.
JohnHo, Osha is usually pretty conservative when it comes to health levels. I would be more concerned when I approached their levels than when I approached something elected officials arrived at through a debate process. Gianni.

[montana_charlie]

Something about most of the lead being turned into lead acetate by the vinegar, not a chemist but ---- .
Yeah, but...
The lead has to soak in the vinegar for months for that to happen.

If you figure the amount of solder exposed past the flux joint into water flow it is pretty minimal IMHO.
And...the lead has to have time to leach into the water before it can get into you.
If you have copper pipes and are real worried about it...let the water run till fresh stuff is in the pipes before filling your glass.
Lead leaches into hot water a bit faster than cold water, so I don't use hot tap water in food or drink. I use the cold (after letting it run), then heat it on the stove.
CM

[PatMarlin]

I just ordered three N100 respirator filters for using around my tumbling media when seperating cases from the media. I noticed a large amount of airborne dust. The N100 should filter out all airborne particles as this respirator is the maximum you can get as a face mask. They were only about $7 each and seemed like a simple, quick and cheap solution.



It would be a good idea to put that tumbler outside. You probably already do, but if a guy was to still dry tumble inside and wear a respirator, you would still have toxic dust in the house... :drinks:

[johnho]

My tumbler is very well sealed but what I need to do is take it outisde to seperate the cases from the media. Thanks for the suggestion. I use the Dillon with their seperator.

John