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

[509thsfs]

I was tested last month. It came back a 3. The test before that was a 4 (2 yrs ago). I just asked the Doc to add it to all the other blood tests he was doing. Told him (new Doc) I have it done every 2-3 years to keep a baseline since I handle lead a good bit. He said it was a good idea. Since I have type 2 diabetes I get blood drawn every couple months so it's no biggie to throw that test in.

[DerekP Houston]

Anyone here use a HEPA filter unit when they cast? I picked up one and run it so that it draws the smoke off the top of the pot and filters it. Seems to work good for the smoke anyway.

Not here, I just go back inside when it starts smoking. Melting raw down is done in the driveway with a breeze, casting on the back porch with a fan runnint. No smoke during casting, just skim the top and pour.

[bullpen7979]

Don't think I have any lead levels. Motorcycle accidents are much more dangerous. Found out the hard way. They tested my blood every way to Sunday, and somehow I came out of the deal with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (sticky blood). Somehow I suspect that if I had high lead levels, they would have let me know. Already taking aspirin and an Iron supplement for it. Not going to add a lead supplement to my med regimen unless recommended.

[Moleman-]

I've been tested and my kids are tested every physical. None of us has ever shown elevated levels (don't know the exact count) but my dr and the kids dr just say it's within normal levels. I'd likely never have been tested, but my sister from HI and nephew literally walked through my garage into the house from a car. Didn't even go on the side of the garage with the reloading equipment. He later showed high levels of lead which I got blamed for and she made a big stink. My wife got all upset and the kids and I had to get tested ect. Oh the horror, if he got lead poisoning from walking though the garage then our kids that have actually cast bullets or spent more than 30 seconds in the garage surely must have high levels of lead right? Every test result has come back NO high lead levels. Strange that both of my sisters daughters born years later who had never been to my house also had high lead levels. Turns out they get their drinking water from acidic rain water that leaches lead out from the pipes. Never got an apology.

[Texas by God]

I've had cancer, been shot(accident), stabbed(accident), had 32 car crashes( 4 totals), was in a pipeline gas explosion& fire, numerous concussions, fallen 30' out of a tree, two motorcycle crashes, played with Mercury and chewed on lead fishing sinkers as a child. I run a small electric fan with the shop doors open when I'm casting because I don't like the smell. God will take you when HE wants and not a second sooner. Get tested if it bothers you. But in the big pic ain't nothing but a thang. Best, Thomas.

[tmc-okc]

Thomas, Is your nick name " Lucky" by any chance ??? LOL

Glad you are still around !

Ron H

[Texas by God]

My wife says God keeps me down here for entertainment. And HE doesn't want me up there breaking stuff lol. Best, Thomas.

[Grantb]

In one year my lead blood level went from 10.14 to 5.18. I think most of the decrease was from using a proper face mask when mining the backstop for lead and melting lead. I wasn't concerned at 10.14, and am even less concerned now.

[clum553946]

I've been tested and my kids are tested every physical. None of us has ever shown elevated levels (don't know the exact count) but my dr and the kids dr just say it's within normal levels. I'd likely never have been tested, but my sister from HI and nephew literally walked through my garage into the house from a car. Didn't even go on the side of the garage with the reloading equipment. He later showed high levels of lead which I got blamed for and she made a big stink. My wife got all upset and the kids and I had to get tested ect. Oh the horror, if he got lead poisoning from walking though the garage then our kids that have actually cast bullets or spent more than 30 seconds in the garage surely must have high levels of lead right? Every test result has come back NO high lead levels. Strange that both of my sisters daughters born years later who had never been to my house also had high lead levels. Turns out they get their drinking water from acidic rain water that leaches lead out from the pipes. Never got an apology.

They should thank you out of appreciation since the incident made them aware of a problem that they didn't know existed, plus it also found the root of the problem! Geez!

[Moleman-]

They should thank you out of appreciation since the incident made them aware of a problem that they didn't know existed, plus it also found the root of the problem! Geez!

Well for that she'd have to admit she was wrong, which isn't going to happen. Told her at the time to look at things that could cause build up from long term exposure which she obviously didn't do until she didn't have someone else to blame. What I do take away from it is that with just basic precautions casting is safe and not harmful to my family.

[quail4jake]

TAWILDCAT, my compliments! 1938, I hope to be making boolits at 83 as opposed to...say making organic matter in the ground. A lead level of 45 is concerning, thank go you're OK now and we all hope to hear from you as you cast boolits on your 100th birthday!
For the peanut gallery...someone posted the symptom of lead poisoning quoting the Mayo Clinic, spot on! The symptoms are vague and most closely resemble a host of other heavy metal toxidromes or ALS or MS! So, try to figure out if you're poisoned and when you do please let me know. I have been an emergency physician for 25 years and toxicology is my bailiwick, lead is a tough customer! Almost every Physician will miss the symptoms initially, bridgeworkers, malnourished children from underserved areas and a few others are most suspect. Notice that boolit casters are not mentioned! Why? you might ask. Because boolit folk are: educated, astute in general, alert to the hazards, take precautions and (contrary to the propaganda of the "green" liberal fear mongers) really don't want a lead, mercury, arsenic and asbestos etc. contaminated environment in which to raise our children. Deep breath.
Well, we all need to be aware of the hazard but that shouldn't stop us from casting and firing a new record number of boolits every year. OK, let's use our heads... ventilate , don't eat, drink or smoke when handling lead and the fewer paint chips we eat the happier we will be! The truth is that metallic lead is very safe. The more complex organic compounds and those associated with other heavy metals, like lead arsenate are most bioavailable and can be very dangerous. Dross, which is mostly oxides of lead and other metals is not well absorbed but to be respected. really hot lead, hotter than we cast our alloys can vaporize and be an inhalation risk but lead does not spread by atomized droplets, it precipitates very fast on any surface around which is why we take precautions!
Sugar of lead, lead acetate, aceto plumbum is far and away the most hazardous to humans. It was the compound found in the lead pewter goblets of ancient Rome in which acidic red wine was drunk because it was sweet, and very deadly. Recently it was found that over 80% of Hillary Clinton supporters drink red wine from lead goblets. Now, you just have to wonder if there is a connection. (BS alert). Right, well, anyway lead acetate is not associated with boolit casting. Bang, epiphany!
Hey, thanks for listening. If you are lead poisoned we can treat you with EDTA, British Anti Lewisite and maybe with calcium phosphate but you really don't want that. Lead forms complexes with calcium salts in bones, so it can be very long lived and difficult to chelate. Nothing is as simple as the liberal media would have us believe, lead is not a bad guy, lack of education is the bad guy.

[leeggen]

Have an uncle that was shot about 25 yrs ago, still carries two 22 bullets in him. Even after he was shot they never found high levels of lead. Doc say's it is encapsulated in a grissle like material the body uses to protect us. I don't tell my doctors about loading nor shooting nor casting. If I start acting a little diluginal then maybe I'll be checked.
CD

[RogerDat]

Well I had my annual physical and asked for a lead/heavy metals test with the blood work and was told I flunked. 10.9 where 5 or less is acceptable. Sending me to a "blood doctor" to for follow up or possible treatment. I guess saying a Hematologist might have confused me.

Here is where I'm a bit confused. From what I have read this evening 5 is acceptable level for children, with 10 being the old CDC "level of concern" in children. I may never grow up but certainly won't pass for a kid and the levels I'm seeing as "conern" for adults are much higher. Around 25 - 40 with 40 or above being a treatment should be considered range. Am I misinformed or reading the wrong information?

I am careful (or fairly careful) about ventilation and washing hands when working with lead, wear gloves most of the time, leather for bulk or nitrile gloves for handling bullets or sorting WW's. I'm sort of getting suspicious based on this thread that it might be cleaning brass giving me an elevated level. I just recently finished citric acid wash and polish of two 5 gallon buckets of brass and that is certainly not the first couple of buckets this year. Lot of sorting of brass, I usually wear the nitrile gloves for knocking the media out of the cases and sorting but I can't say always, sometimes I just wash up afterwards. I also have not always been wearing gloves when sorting brass by head stamp. Used to smoke for over 30 years so some hand to mouth contamination is possible.

Have to wonder if it was old exposure too. Back 30 years ago I would have been doing things like leaded body work, soldering a radiator (or three) remodeling old house about 10 years ago, and spent about 6 months soldering leads on circuit boards about 20 years ago. Plenty of pipe soldering too. Probably the worst thing I have done is 80 grit sanding disks on lead used as body filler and might have worn a dust mask, and I also used the red skimming filler. Put me down as +1 on playing with mercury too while your at it.

Don't have any idea if this is something to be concerned about or not. Want to be well prepared in case I get a hematologist that is "shocked" that anyone would be working with lead to make bullets. Also want to know if any of the possible diet type things like drinking orange juice will really help bring levels down. Doctors with "opinions" don't concern me nearly as much as "concerned" wife. She may find me annoying but seems bent on keeping me above dirt (or at least telling me what to do)

[imashooter2]

Ask your doctor why exactly he is sending you to a specialist when your results came back low normal. Doctors are just contractors with an area of expertise. No different than the guy that fixes your car.

[Harter66]

Doctors are just contractors with an area of expertise. No different than the guy that fixes your car.

Best doctor I ever had that did the most good and actually listened to me did his internship in Vietnam . The runner up was a pilot . 3rd place goes to a gal about 4'10" . She would swim like hell because she was always in over her head all 3 were always learning .

[fjruple]

I recently started to have my blood tested for lead and the reading came back as 27. My understanding in some states the doctors are required to report to the state environmental agencies anyone with a reading of over 25. The average reading for folks working in the lead industries is 50. I am a part time range officer at two ranges, each one day a week. One range is indoor but I rarely have to go inside to be physically with the shooters as I am in an enclosed RSO station. The other one is an outdoor rifle range which has not been mined for lead in the twenty years that I worked there. The dust/lead participles blew all round. Unfortunately I eat my lunch on the range (which I have since stopped doing). I also cast my bullets and ingots outdoors and I take the added precautions of a respirator and rubber gloves to minimize my exposure to lead dust. I am scheduled to see a doctor who specializes in removal of lead from the body. I understand that Vitamin C will help prevent the lead from being absorbed in the body. There is also a subsistance called Bentonite clay which you take two teaspoons per day for two weeks, stop one week, and than start up again. The Bentonite clay is suppose electrically charge and picks up the Lead molecules as it passes through the digestive track. I never thought I would be eating dirt again. Did it as a kid.

--fjruple

[finstr]

Dunno what these numbers mean exactly but lead urine is 17.
I have never been careful around lead. Or anything really to be honest. As a kid I would bite the weights onto the fishing line. As a mechanic I never wore gloves around wheel weights or battery clamps. I would weld or grind metals without a mask. I'm more careful when casting since reading castboolits.com. Now that I'm 50yrs old I'm suffering from a constant headache. The tests I have undergone are numerous. The latest is a heavy metals test. They tested my blood and after a chelation treatment my urine too.
The photo shows how high those levels are.
So now I'm on a 3 day on 10 day off series of chelation therapy ordered by my doctor. The pills are very expensive and are hard on my body but I will persevere.
Will I stop casting and smelting? That's a BIG hell no! I'll just be more careful is all.
Plus our indoor range has just installed a new air system so we should be good to go once the headache subsides. Fingers crossed and God willing!

[hendere]

I decided when I turned 50 that I would go to a doctor for the first time in decades and get a physical. I did and asked for a lead test. He seemed surprised and said that no one had ever asked him for one before. He asked why, I told him that I casted bullets. I explained twice but I don't think he understood what I was talking about. My test came back at 23. He told me that he didn't know anything about the subject but the test said that normal was supposed to be 5. He wants to send me to a "specialist".
I have been around guns forever, but have only really heavily been into shooting for about the last 10 years. I do my lead smelting outside. I cast in an outbuilding with the garage door open and fans pulling the air out the windows. I shoot indoors once a week. I wash my hands religiously before leaving the range and shower when I get home. I don't smoke. I don't have any symptoms that make me think that I have a problem. I just read all 26 pages of this thread. I appreciate all that shared their facts. I've decided that I'll stop shooting indoors, and will start wearing gloves and a mask when I mess with the tumbler. I think I'll skip the trip to the "specialist" and I'll get rechecked in six months. I'll let you know if it changes. If nothing changes, I'll probably go back to doing what I have always done and not worry about it.

[Kevinkd]

Just some anecdotal information, I've been shootin 40 or more years, casting for 35 at least. One gentleman who shot alot at our indoor range, tested 'high' (whatever that meant) and he decided to try to see if he could pull it out of the blood. He used Vitamin C, spirulina (blue green algae) and chlorella. All available from a health food store. The chlorella is a strong chelator and will strip metals from the body (good metals as well - ie zinc etc that we need so a good multivitamin is recommended). After a month his levels were way down and the doctor wondered what he had done and he told him.

So take it for what you will, but I think alot of healthy green leafy foods, veggies etc can help strip the bad stuff out of us and the I take the above for a week or so after a casting session to pull whatever may have got into me.

Have fun.

[quail4jake]

I'm really sorry to hear of the past few who have had high lead levels, I sincerely hope that you get better and correct the source. I truthfully think there is something to Vitamin C and Chlorella etc. and I would take that over a course of EDTA. Unfortunately lead deposits in bone as a complex with calcium and "keeps on giving", hopefully your level will drop and all good. As long as you don't have symptoms you're probably OK. God bless you and I pray for the best for you!