Lead Safety Issue?

[Canuck Bob]

I just received a diagnosis of a blood disorder and in my initial response decided to drop casting from my shooting. After taking a deep breath I thought a second opinion might be in order. I cannot add lead to my blood. I'm also a trained mechanic and skilled with my hands with a nice shop for wood and metal work and capable of proper safe procedures and shop remodelling.

I've been thinking about lead safety. first the obvious wash my hands and clothes after handling lead, nitrile gloves and barrier cream, proper ventilation.

Here are some of my questions and thoughts.

-Bottom pour pot with a layer of kitty litter would be less prone to fumes.
-A small cabinet with a vented bathrom fan for casting and loading, being Canadian casting outdoors feels like a 3 month activity.
-I'm using lead shot and roto tin for my lead, no messy or obnoxious smelting of WW's and no abundant fluxing. Just clean lead and reduced handling.

For the guys who have tested for lead in thier blood. Does casting increase lead blood levels? Any tricks you want to share or pics of safe setups and vent systems. I can't be stupid for my families sake but arthritis robbed me of a lot and this is not going to take the rest if I can help it.

Besides what kinda man shoots jacketed in a 32-20 and 444.

[Matt3357]

From what I have read, you get more lead exposure from breathing the smoke from firing your guns. There is lead in the primers that becomes atomized when you fire it. It is especially bad indoors. I would be much more worried about that than casting.

Matt

[cbrick]

I would be more concerned about your brass tumbler than casting. Wash your hands well after handling the tumbler or it's media & brass. The media accumulates A LOT of lead from primer residue.

Here is an article that explains it well.

Safe Handling of Lead When Casting AND TUMBLING BRASS (http://www.lasc.us/FryxellSafeHandlingLead.htm)

Lead is not radioactive, it cannot jump out and get you. It has be ingested. It does not absorb through the skin. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, don't rub or scratch your eyes etc.

Hope this helps,

Rick

[10 ga]

#1. Don't smoke, eat or drink while casting or handling lead!
#2. Cast outdoors or in a well ventilated area!
#3. Load ammo and handle brass in a safe and gloved hand manner!
#4. Don't shoot lead ammo in a poorly ventilated indoor range!

I worked for the local public health dept for 13 years and had tests for a bunch of stuff done on a frequent basis. I have resistance to rabies by pre-exposure vaccination a rabid racoon bite and post exposure prophylaxis, lyme disease due to 2 bites from ticks with lyme disease, had Rocky Mtn. spoted fever, and have had rabbit fever. All due to outdoor activity and being a trapper and hunter. Lead, casting and loading ML and cast boolits in rifle and pistola, no problems. See # 1-4 above! 10 ga

P.S. I do all my skinning with gloves now.

I give thanks to GOD every day for modern medicine and antibiotics!

[white eagle]

how long does it stay with you
would it not be lessened as time passes

[mpmarty]

At normal <800* casting temperatures lead doesn't vaporize you can't inhale it. Handling lead with bare hands isn't dangerous, it cannot be absorbed through the skin.

[fecmech]

Are you shooting indoors a lot?? You will get more lead in your blood from that then casting. Couple years ago my level was 19 and that was in the spring after a lot of indoor shooting. The following year I minimized my indoor shooting and BLL went to 7. I still cast my normal 10-12K bullets just cut down my indoor shooting. BTW there are no fumes coming off the lead till 1100-1200 degrees.

[Canuck Bob]

This is encouraging, I've decided to put my casting back on track with an extended time frame. Medical stuff will keep me busy for awhile.

I bought 200 rounds of Rem factory loads to play with and help stock up on brass. Sometimes I think I should have bought a 357 magnum lever. Sourcing in Canada has been a problem for 32-20. We don't have many handgun shooters in the various 32 cal. so shops don't stock much.

[MtGun44]

First, what is your blood lead level? We repeatedly get docs scaring folks because
"Your lead is over 10, you are in trouble" which is BOLONEY! Many docs never deal
with lead, so when they look it up, they see the 10 microgram/decaliter "limit", but
fail to notice that this is for CHILDREN. Adult limit level is 40. You can be just fine in the
20-25 range for decades. The only people that I have seen (and this is a cop running
an indoor range as range officer - LONG hours on the range) with real symptoms was at
about 65-70. He had to quit being a RO on that range and they had to improve
their ventilation. Please DO NOT BELIEVE ME - look it up for yourself. We get this
all the time and find out that the guy tested 9 and is scared witless by his uninformed
doc.

If you DO have 20+, you should examine WHY you have this high a level. You will NOT
get this high from normal reloading and casting if you take reasonable precautions. I
get it that high (20+ usually) from shooting on an indoor range a lot. If I was not doing
that (and I do wash my hands after shooting and never eat or drink on the range) I'm
sure it would be down in the 5-10 range.

No lead vapor at casting temps, this is a myth.

Lead styphinate from primers is a source, if you shoot indoors, as is lead dust
getting on your hands from boolits splattering on a steel target or backstop.

The primary route of lead into the body is through the mouth, via food, drink,
cigarettes, etc. Wash your hands and don't shoot indoors and you will have VERY
low lead. Gloves when loading is pointless - lead does not come through the
skin.

Ventilation when casting is mostly for the fumes from fluxing and smoke, NOT lead
"vapors" which are essentially zero. The vapor pressure of lead at 800F is something
like 1 millionth of atmospheric pressure, essentially no lead vaporizes at these temps.

Bill

[454PB]

I've mentioned here before that I do all my casting indoors and without ventilation. I've been doing that for 38 years, and when I and the rest of my work crew had to have blood testing done for lead (due to some improper lead based paint removal by a certified lead abatement contractor), my blood lead level was the lowest of all of us, and all were well below acceptable OSHA levels.

[kmag]

I finally got the Doctor to test my blood for lead last month. Been loading and casting for over 50years. When I was young I was casting in a small room without any vents in my basement and smoked all the time. Cig on one side of the table and coffie cup on the other. Have also shot a lot on indoor ranges in service and while range officer with the P.D., so didn't know what to expect. Had to go back to the Doc. about another matter and asked about my lead level reading he looked in my folder and said it is 1. Took a load off my mind.

[Simonpie]

You mention mechanic and metalwork. If you do bodywork on old cars I'd look at lead based paint dust and solder "bodyfill" in old sheetmetal as your culprit. Powered grinders make a lot of surface area fast in the form of inhaleable dust.

[waksupi]

I think lead contamination is only a problem for the government workers, who lick the lead to see if they can detect anything poisonous.

[Wayne Smith]

Personally I think it all depends on the "blood disorder". You need to talk with your doctor or a researcher to see if there is any interaction of this blood disorder and heavy metals. There may or may not be. If not you are free and clear. If there is you need to become ultra careful in all of your exposure, including work and indoor shooting.

[bobthenailer]

Ive been casting bullets indoors for 40 years in that time ive probley made around 4 to 5 hundred thousand bullets . I do use a exhaust fan, wash hands alot , as well as some other previously posted precautions. ive been tested at least 5 times over the years for pb levels , and ive allways tested normal .
The only 3 people i know who have gotten pb poisening have done alot of shooting in 2 different poorely ventlated indoor ranges . all were treated by drugs and the pb leveles came down. ther still around and that was 15 to 20 years ago