Got my lead levels checked

[mugsie]

Had my yearly physical the other day and I asked the doctor to run my lead levels in addition to everything else. They recorded at 16. I'm a 61 year old male and unfortunately I don't have a baseline to check it against. Apparently I've got a long way to go before I need to start worrying but I was curious if any others have had their levels checked and what did they read.

I've been around the block many times so I don't know if this is normal for someone in my position or not. How about some of you - what are your readings?

[keeper89]

I had mine done at a pyhsical last Sept. reading was a 2. Been casting, reloading, and shooting a lot since the early 70's and my job is currently a weapons training officer allowing considerable extra exposure. Either I am lead resistant or pretty lucky......:drinks:

[siamese4570]

Mugsie: Assuming that your reading was in units of ug/100ml (which is typical), then you're fine. The OSHA value for blood lead level where you should start to worry is 40 ug/100ml.

I tried to get my doctor to check me at my last physical and they looked at me like I was from outerspace! They said that they have never been asked to check for lead before. Guess they don't do any occupational medicine.

Siamese4570

[cohutt]

Same here, mine was 18 or so. I'm 48, been smelting/casting for a couple years now. I needed a baseline so i requested the test to have data to put the wife at rest.

[mugsie]

Yeah, my doctor thought it was a strange request too! In fact, after they got the results, she started reading up on it to find out what is normal and what is not. Besides casting, my job entails a lot of soldering, and has for the last 30 or so years. I deal with lead solder 63/37 as well as lead free stuff (pure tin people, pure tin :mrgreen:) so I wanted to know where I stood. I was just curious as to where everyone else stood.

[Tom W.]

I have mine checked every time that I have blood test for my epilepsy medication levels... I was concerned when I was pouring a lot of Babbitt on a daily basis when I worked at the sawmill.
So far so good...

[AZ-Stew]

Got checked a year or so ago. Measured 4.

I wash my hands after handling lead, boolits or alloy and after casting. I usually wash my hands twice using dishwashing soap (Dawn, for what it's worth). I keep an open beverage around the bench when casting so I can take a sip every now and then. It's usually a couple of feet from the casting pot. I quit smoking 20 or so years ago, so I don't have to worry about transferring lead to the cigarettes, then inhaling it, during casting. I don't eat anything until I've washed up after casting.

I don't think it takes too much effort to avoid exposure. Simple, common sense measures seem to have worked for me.

Regards,

Stew

[targetshootr]

I wash my hands and play it safe but I'm still a-feared to have it checked. That's when they're most likely to give you the news, and no news is good news over here.

:castmine:

[mooman76]

I got mine checked and it was 3. My doctor also looked at me like I was crazy for asking and got real concerned like I had some kind of hidden motive or something even after I explained why.

[Kenpo Joe]

Had mine checked last year and it was 4.

Back on mute. 8-)

[beemer]

Had mine checked last year. My doc is not a gun nut but does like guns, he knows I cast and was curious about saftey procedures for casting and handling lead. I can't remember the number but he said it was low in the normal range. I've been at it since 1976 so maybe those precautions are working.

beemer

[357maximum]

Had mine checked early this year...it was at 3....I was a little shocked actually as I am not the most anal about cleanliness while casting..huh:-D

[Bill*]

You guys just gave me the incentive to ask for a lead test next time I get my diabetes bloodwork. THANX....Bill

[725]

Mine was 4. I cast in two locations. One; the shop floor with the garage door open and once in awhile with a fan, and Two; at a sit down bench with a homemade "chemical hood" to vent outside. (Made from a kitchen stove fan and some sheet metal to form the sides.)

[Springfield]

I cast small time commercially. In the last 2.5 years mine has been 8, 13, and now 10. Never had it checked before I started casting a lot so I don't know what it was before, but I am in the normal range so i won't worry too much about it. Just ry and be careful and wash my hands a lot with D-lead soap.

[Murphy]

Wouldn't it be a hoot if we could get our collective lead levels on national news?

So much for that horrible, TOXIC poison they have the entire country paranoid about now.

Murphy

[spur0701]

I'm a cop and have a mandatory full physical every year and as a part time weapons instructor they automatically test for lead. They do two test, one measurers short term exposure and one test long term......long term has always been OK, there have been a few times where short term has been a little higher but the doctor said it was from shooting on an indoor range..........

[Lloyd Smale]

86 is the highest its been.

[dakotashooter2]

The only time I had mine checked it was 10 and that was immediately after about 2 weeks of intense casting and sizing. Strangely about the same time I had some very low blood counts that prompted some cancer testing but revealed nothing. don't know if it was related or not.

[Wayne Smith]

I asked my doc to do it, too, about 6 months ago. He had no problem as we had talked about guns and loading and casting in previous meetings. (New doc, didn't know me, wanted to get to know me - then got curious.) Mine was 4. He suggested something about doing it yearly, I think he wants to confirm that I am safe. The more I can educate him the better.

[9.3X62AL]

I wasn't given a number reference, but early this year the doc said the levels were "negligible, so you're doing something right while casting and shooting."

[hicard]

I am 61, retired LE, a range officer for the last 15-20 years and have been loading/casting since I was 15 years old. I had my level checked about a year ago and it was 14. I got a letter from OSHA warning me my level is too high. My wife about had a cow so now I have to sneak out to the garage to reload.