Lead tested today...

[twoworms]

I gave a blood sample the other day for some testing. One of the test was for blood lead level.

It came out at 3.5 the upper range the report said was 29, over that and my Doc wants you to take meds to lower it.

After about a year of casting and many years of shooting lead some with BlackPowder adn lead balls I don't feel thats bad.

Anyone else know your Blood/Lead number?

Tim

[MtGun44]

I shoot indoors IPSC every Friday night for the last 27 years, cast
bullets indoors, reload in the basement, etc. My blood lead has
been in the upper 20s for about 20 years or more. This is NOT
harmful, as the OSHA limit for people working in lead industry is
40 mg/dl before it is necessary to change the work environment.

Most docs know relatively little about lead in the human body, and
erroniously apply the children's standard of 10 mg/dl to adults.
Children are building neurological systems and should not be exposed
beyond 10 mg/dl. However, adults are fine at levels below 40.

Check this all out, don't assume your doc knows what he is talking
about, and don't just blindly assume that I know what I'm talking
about. I do believe that I know, and have researched it a lot, but
not in the last 5-10 years.

Short answer, 29 is OK, but could possibly be lower if you are careful and
make sure you don't drink, smoke or eat around lead or with lead
on your hands. Ingestion is the most common route. Keep it as low
as you can, but you should be safe with less than 40.

Bill

[NVcurmudgeon]

I don't know the numbers, but tests seven and two years ago came out "normal."
Not bad for serious casting since the late sixties.

[fecmech]

Similar to Mtngun- I shoot about 10-15 k centerfire pistol +4-5 k rimfire+ 5 k shotgun per year. I cast to support the handguns and reload both hangun and shotgun ammo. During the winter months I shoot 2-3 times a week at our indoor club range which has decent ventilation if you want to turn it on and get cold. I got my lead level checked last year and showed 15mg/dl and was told adult acceptable was up to 25 mg. The only precaution I take is to wash my hands after casting, sizing, shooting or reloading.

[piwo]

I just go the "script" from the doc to have the test done. I get tested every 6 months because of the cholesterhol thing, and asked that he do the lead test once a year. I'll have the blood drawn this coming week, and apt. with the doc on the 17th. I should know shortly........

[Beau Cassidy]

Mine was 6.5 about a year ago after doing a lot of casting/smelting.

[piwo]

I just got my results back this morning: 2. the paper said 0-19 was the acceptable range. Not sure why so many different ranges are "acceptable" based on the DR's report, but perhaps there are a few different scales to measure by...

[trickyasafox]

after 2 years of reloading and 0 of casting my lead level was 8 i think its in PPM? i'm not sure. 0-20 is acceptable. that being said, im turning 23 soon, and now will continue to get it checked every year with my cholesterol. i really like to stay on top of my health

[44man]

You fellas are all OK unlike a friend that we called "Metal Man". He had silver in his hair, gold in his teeth and lead in his butt!

[Lloyd Smale]

IVe been treated twice with chealting theropy. Mine was as high as 89 and after the two treatments was down around 20.

[Larry Gibson]

Mine must be getting pretty high because every time I step on a scale I'm heavier.

Seriously, there was a 50 ft indoor range at the armory I worked in several years ago. I shot in there at least 1 hr 3 times a week, trained other shooters in there cleaned it up and salvaged the range lead. You could shoot ammo up through 2,000 fps there. We shot lots of cast out of all sorts of handguns, rifles and sub MGs along with .22LR in target rifles and M16A1s. There were 3 of us authorized to clean it up and we were tested every 3 months for lead. Myself and one of the others also did a considerable amount of our own bullet casting. We were always quite low, usually under the 10 mgs. None of us smoked cigerettes, we didn't eat or drink in the range and we always washed our hands when done. We didn't chew on any bullets either. My casting area in the garage is well ventalated when I cast. I think "lead safety" is a matter of common sense and taking ordinary precautions. Getting checked is a good idea.

Larry Gibson

[piwo]

Mine must be getting pretty high because every time I step on a scale I'm heavier.

Seriously, there was a 50 ft indoor range at the armory I worked in several years ago. I shot in there at least 1 hr 3 times a week, trained other shooters in there cleaned it up and salvaged the range lead. You could shoot ammo up through 2,000 fps there. We shot lots of cast out of all sorts of handguns, rifles and sub MGs along with .22LR in target rifles and M16A1s. There were 3 of us authorized to clean it up and we were tested every 3 months for lead. Myself and one of the others also did a considerable amount of our own bullet casting. We were always quite low, usually under the 10 mgs. None of us smoked cigerettes, we didn't eat or drink in the range and we always washed our hands when done. We didn't chew on any bullets either. My casting area in the garage is well ventalated when I cast. I think "lead safety" is a matter of common sense and taking ordinary precautions. Getting checked is a good idea.

Larry Gibson

The fella that ran the indoor range by my home got lead poisoning pretty bad. I'm not sure he's still with us. Saw him at a gun show or two after the place closed, but never after that. The range closed and became of all things: A CHINESE RESTURAUNT! I've told everyone I know DON"T EAT AT THAT PLACE!!! You gonna tell tell me these folks did an environmental "space suite" cleanup of the place...

Sal didn't have adequate air movement and ventilation in the range and he paid the price. If one spent that much time cleaning things up and stayed healthy, the ventilation must have been good, and that's a good thing!

[AlaskaMike]

I got tested last fall and was at 19 mg/dl. I wanted to baseline my wife and daughter (3yo) and my wife was 3, and daughter less than 1.

My doctor told me that he'd like to see me drop from 19 because there are issues with prolonged exposure at light/moderate levels. I need to go back and get tested again, but just haven't got off my butt.

Mike

[Mallard57]

I was wondering if health insurance covers the cost of these tests and if they don't, does anyone know how much a test like this costs?
Thanks,
Jeff

[Nazgul]

After 30+ years of casting and shooting had mine tested, two years ago. Dr said it was normal, didn't give me a #.

Did it the same time as other tests and the insurance paid for it.

[piwo]

My doctor told me he didn't know if insurance would pay. I told him I am in constant contact with lead, he sure as hell better order a test. I asked him if I worked in a coal mine if he'd think a chest xray would be in order?

He ordered it with the next cholestorol test, and insurance paid. He just needed to know why is was a "good thing to do"..

[dubber123]

Mallard57, I have had mine done twice during routine check ups, and just requested it be done. I think the extra test was only like 20$ or so, but I was having blood drawn anyways, so if just going for a lead test alone, I would expect it would run more. It's worth doing for peace of mind.

[buck1]

LOL!!!

You fellas are all OK unlike a friend that we called "Metal Man". He had silver in his hair, gold in his teeth and lead in his butt!

[Ricochet]

Different labs have different normal ranges for all of their tests. Their procedures won't always give exactly the same results when run on the same person at the same time. They run their tests on groups of "normal" people and run their statistics on them to decide what range is "normal." A statistician would have to explain the fine points, and sometimes clinical considerations override the purely statistical ones to some extent, but as I understand it for most things the "normal" range covers about 95% of "normal" people.

[Charlie Horse]

I recently had a test that came back at 10.5 mg/dl. The indoor range I shoot at is filthy. Doc wants to see me again in 3 months. I'm thinking of cutting down my range trips to once/week, (I have been going 2-4x), and just waiting another 6-12 months for another test. I'm 65 years old next month.
Thoughts?

[rdwarrior]

I recently had a test that came back at 10.5 mg/dl. The indoor range I shoot at is filthy. Doc wants to see me again in 3 months. I'm thinking of cutting down my range trips to once/week, (I have been going 2-4x), and just waiting another 6-12 months for another test. I'm 65 years old next month.
Thoughts?

1.5 years ago my lead level was 9.x, 6 months later it was around 6.x. I just had it tested again 2 weeks ago and it was down to 4.0. Time is one thing that will help lower your lead level. Another thing I have read and done myself is take about 1500 mg of vitamin c daily. I have no scientific proof that vitamin c helps to lower your lead level, but it seems to have helped me to lower mine. BTW I am 67.

[44Blam]

The main thing that will get you is after shooting/handling steel targets and then not washing your hands... I mean there is a layer of lead dust on those targets... Just make sure to wash up before you drink/smoke/eat.

With casting, I always do it outside with a nice fan blowing over the top of my pot. I think the most risk while casting for getting lead in your body is probably little burns or the tinsel fairy.

[dbosman]

My next blood test is next month. I had to switch to yet another doctor at the university clinical center. I keep living longer and they keep retiring. I got lucky this time, his best friend growing up, had a father who was a police officer and a competitive shooter. So my doctor understands the issue.
What he discovered regarding lead testing is that there is an insurance category for testing people who don't fit other categories, but who should be tested occasionally. Potters, people who work with pottery glazes, pottery collectors, china collectors, shooters in general, shade tree mechanics and home flippers. Ask carefully since you only "heard about this group" and you may get the test added for free.

[10mmShooter]

Zombie thread back to life after 13 years

[AlaskaMike]

I posted on this thread back in 2007. My level was 19 mg/dl at the time because I'd been drinking coffee while melting wheel weights. When I stopped doing stupid things like that my level dropped to a consistent level of less than 5 mg/dl.

What elevates blood lead levels is eating, drinking or smoking while casting or otherwise melting lead alloys. Indoor ranges with inadequate ventilation used to be #1, however that's changed a lot in the last 20 years.

It's all about ingesting organic lead compounds. Don't do that and your levels will be perfectly fine.