Are you poisoned? The lead blood levels poll...

[Bazoo]

I started being tested when I have blood done. Im at 4. So.... im cool. I do drink while reloading, and while casting, But I try not to touch the lip of my glass/bottle. I always wash my hands after doing any reloading, or casting. But not after handling ammo and guns. I handle ammo and guns a lot some days.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Has anyone seen any research that distinguishes the lead dust from priming compounds vs. the lead dust from the actual boolits? My guess is that the primers are the big culprit of lead dust in empty brass.

If we could get priming compounds that were lead free, I think that would ameliorate a lot of the lead dust exposure we get as reloaders. So far the best lead-free priming system I've encountered is my flintlock. But they don't make flintlock 1911s.

[Soundguy]

I've had blood test in recent years for liver and heart, and heavy metals was tested for.. I don't think it's ever been over 4.

I restore antique tractors ( lead paint ), and have sanded on those things for decades. I've also done extensive solder work for a (mumble) few decades.

I don't do anything super special. sanding I wore a paper dust mask, maybe 15% of the time.. never when soldering or casting. MOST of the time I handled lead bare handed, though white powdery lead, i generally DID wash my hands after. I don't lick my fingers or eat around lead.. pretty sure I have drank from a water bottle with an open cap. I reload with lead.. etc.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Seems the more dense a material is, the more toxic. Take the synthetic radio active substance cesium 137. One gram of it has more atoms than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Two grams vaporized is enough to make Central Park in New York City a no-go zone for a couple hundred years. There are far worse things out there than lead.

[Thin Man]

I spent over 25 years as a LEO armorer and have been a boolit caster for 45 years (before, during and after LEO employment). My armorer duties began when revolvers and lead boolits were the normal carry combination and all my work of de-leading the revolvers was completed bare handed. Somewhere around 10 years ago I asked my MD to test specifically for lead levels when he was ordering a routine blood draw. The doctor may have given me a specific number for the lead content in me, can't remember that he did, but his summary comment was that the lead reading was so low it was completely insignificant. Works for me. Now, just which mold am I going to warm up today? Quick answer - the 311359 that I just modified to a flat point design as a light weight recreational boolit. Let's see how that one groups.

[Big Mak]

I've had lead in my system since I was a baby.
I know this because my father always called me Lead A**.

[fivefang]

Alaska Mike, I like Mexican food, esp. the Salsa, so making my own, reading about Cilantro, I was surprised about the claims that it purifies water & also removes "heavy Metals" from our bodies, I just plain love the taste of it, my 2Cents, Fivefang

[fivefang]

jCwit, you should be more concerned wit Monsanto fertilizing our crops, than a Chino Coffee mug, Fivefang

[GregLaROCHE]

I have been reloading on and off since the eighties. A year ago I started getting into casting. I started watching YouTube videos to learn as much as I could. I was very interested in melting scrap lead into ingots, since that was my plan for getting lead. I can't remember one video where I saw someone wearing a respirator, so when I began collecting lead from the range at my club, it was without anything to protect me from the lead.

This was an indoor range with a steel plate as a backstop and a concrete floor. Most bullets/boolits are mostly pulverized. I would sweep what remained into piles shovel them into buckets. It was a good deal. I was getting a lot of lead since no one else was doing it. I would melt it down in a cast iron pan and pour into a mold I made from some angle iron and got 2 lb. ingots. Later I would melt them in a Lee pot and cast my boolits. This was all done outside at a fixed location, so sometimes the wind was in my favor and some times not.

I happened to watch a video by Fortune Cookie 45 LC where he explained how his blood lead levels had gone up since he started collecting range scrap. This was in my mind the last time I was collecting range scrap. Normally, I would do it myself and slowly to not raise much dust. This time I had younger friend and we were short on time, because the range was about to open. my friend swept fast and hard and raised a big cloud of dust. I thought to myself, "This can't be good". Three days later I got a blood test. When the results came back my doctor was shocked. The results were 65.5. He wanted me to get treatment. I have known him for a long time and was able to talk him out of it. I didn't want my club to get inspected and maybe shut down. Six weeks later I got another test I am down to 37.5 and I think it will continue to drop quickly.

I have since bought a respirator for any melting and a box of laytex gloves for reloading. I am probably going to buy some paper throw away coveralls, if they are not too expensive for range scrap.

I want to point out, that with this high level of pb, I never felt sick or had any other discomfort than normal. I think I was lucky because I got a high dose for a short time. Worse is to have a lower dose for a longer time.

I don't want to go on here. I know this is a hot topic. I have done a lot of research on this and if anyone wants to know more, let me know and I'll post more. As a last word, studies have proven that garlic is very good for lowering blood lead levels.

[dondiego]

If you are also shooting indoors at that range, it could be a cause of increased lead blood levels as well.

[GregLaROCHE]

If you are also shooting indoors at that range, it could be a cause of increased lead blood levels as well.

Yes. In the winter I shoot indoors two or three times a week. I am sure it has had an effect. I will soon be talking whith those in charge about the ventilation. I have seen posts saying you can't get lead by breathing it. With all I have found, I think you can.

Thanks for your reply.

[dondiego]

Most priming compounds are made of lead styphnate which, when fired, causes lead particles to be in the air. Also, if you dry tumble your brass, the dusty media is a source of lead contamination. I add liquid polishing compound to keep the media from getting too dusty.

[GregLaROCHE]

Most priming compounds are made of lead styphnate which, when fired, causes lead particles to be in the air. Also, if you dry tumble your brass, the dusty media is a source of lead contamination. I add liquid polishing compound to keep the media from getting too dusty.

I know lead in primers in the air can comtribute to the problem. I also worry about depriming and the old primers. I am thinking about rigging up an old vacuum to suck primers and dust as they are pressed out.

I don't tumble my brass. I just give them a quick rinse in dish soap with some added ammonia, rinse and then a couple of minutes in citric acid followed by another rince. A wet tumbler is on the wish list, but still has to work its way to the top.

[Drm50]

I was 68 the 23rd. I have been pouring lead sinker, soldiers and bullets since I was a kid. Paid
no attention until 20-25 yrs ago when lead poisoning became talked about. Since do in well
ventilated area but all those years behind me it might not help. Back when I was in grade school
we played in Mercury. Nobody gave it a thought back then. I make sure to wash hands good after
handling lead. A lot bigger dose can be transmitted through contact than through the air.

[GregLaROCHE]

I read that Federal was already producing lead free primers. I believe for the time being, they are just issuing it to law enforcement. Does anyone know more about this?

[Jtarm]

I’ve never been tested but have struggled with hypertension for decades. A lot of that is genetic.

Thanks for posting. I have a checkup in 2 days, so I’ll ask the doc.

[Walks]

I'm 64yrs old. I started reloading at age four & casting at age 8. About the only time I wasn't casting/reloading 10-25,000 rds a year was the 4 years in the Service.
I have had my lead levels checked every year since I got Married 37yrs ago. Wife's insistence. Never higher then a 6. Could be the OJ. Have 8oz every morning.
I gave up casting for almost 10yrs. My lead levels were at 6mcg/dl the last test when I stopped casting. 11yrs later after a year in which I cast approximately 20,000 bullets. My levels were still the same.
Guess it doesn't seem to effect me.

[dondiego]

I read that Federal was already producing lead free primers. I believe for the time being, they are just issuing it to law enforcement. Does anyone know more about this?

The small pistol primed .45 ACP rounds are loaded with lead free primers. Any head stamp with NT on it stands for non-toxic/lead free.

[lightman]

I have my levels included in my annual check up when they draw blood. That have always been in the normal range. I smelt in my shop, although I have enough ventilation to see the smoke being sucked out of the door. I'm also conscious of using good hygiene. No eating, smoking, rubbing my eyes lips or something else, working up wind of the pot, ect ect.

I would be more worried if I regularly shot in an indoor range.

[StuBach]

Had my levels checked for the first time this year, and like Lightman I have good ventilation and am cautious of my hygiene.

I also always wear a ventilation mask as an added precaution (best friend is a doctor and insists on it) and my levels show 0, little extra care goes a long way.

Funny thing is my “ventilation” hood is just a bathroom vent fan hooked up to a vacuum hepa filter and it seems to work pretty well at a fairly low cost to build especially if you are replacing a noisy fan anyways.