How to lower lead levels in blood?

[barnabus]

I pour once a year jan-march for everything I cast for which is about 8-10k bullets per year..Its also the coolest time in the shop. I have 9 months for it to get out of my system.never had elevated levels

[kevin c]

Respectfully, Tripplebeards, the color you saw was probably the compound you drank or something else you ate, not lead being kept out of your body.

The amounts of lead we can ingest or inhale while casting are microscopic. An oral agent could maybe keep the ingested lead from being absorbed, and would pass it out in the stool, but unless you are eating the boolits you cast, I don't think you'll be able to see metallic lead or lead compounds in the toilet.

Not saying that what you do is not effective, just that the amounts of lead involved are small enough to not be visible.

[Conditor22]

Lead poisoning symptoms in adults
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20354717
Although children are primarily at risk, lead poisoning is also dangerous for adults. Signs and symptoms in adults might include:

High blood pressure
Joint and muscle pain
Difficulties with memory or concentration
Headache
Abdominal pain
Mood disorders
Reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm
Miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth in pregnant women

Causes of lead poisoning many may overlook:
decapping, dry tumbling, shooting at indoor ranges [dust], getting the lead too hot while smelting.


Treatment
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...t/drc-20354723
The first step in treating lead poisoning is to remove the source of the contamination. If you can't remove lead from your environment, you might be able to reduce the likelihood that it will cause problems.

For instance, sometimes it's better to seal in rather than remove old lead paint. Your local health department can recommend ways to identify and reduce lead in your home and community.

For children and adults with relatively low lead levels, simply avoiding exposure to lead might be enough to reduce blood lead levels.

Treating higher levels
For more severe cases, your doctor might recommend:

Chelation therapy. In this treatment, a medication given by mouth binds with the lead so that it's excreted in the urine. Chelation therapy might be recommended for children with a blood level of 45 mcg/dL or greater and adults with high blood levels of lead or symptoms of lead poisoning.

EDTA chelation therapy. Doctors treat adults with lead levels greater than 45 mcg/dL of blood and children who can't tolerate the drug used in conventional chelation therapy most commonly with a chemical called calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). EDTA is given by injection.

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/Public...nicalBrief.pdf

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ables/description.html

[Tripplebeards]

Respectfully, Tripplebeards, the color you saw was probably the compound you drank or something else you ate, not lead being kept out of your body.

The amounts of lead we can ingest or inhale while casting are microscopic. An oral agent could maybe keep the ingested lead from being absorbed, and would pass it out in the stool, but unless you are eating the boolits you cast, I don't think you'll be able to see metallic lead or lead compounds in the toilet.

Not saying that what you do is not effective, just that the amounts of lead involved are small enough to not be visible.

That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!!! I’d rather hear that then it was lead dust.

[truckjohn]

I cringe every time I see a pic of somebody here casting indoors..... That's 100% guaranteed to lead up your whole house from end to end....

Hygiene!

The FIRST step is quit putting lead in you!

The main reason it won't come down quickly is that you probably contaminated your body, work area, clothing, and boots with lead..... You didn't go crazy cleaning all that stuff squeaky clean - so you then tromp it all over your house, carpeting, etc.... Every time you go out to your work area - you get it back all over yourself again....

Get a 2-part lead test kit like this one....

https://www.ebay.com/i/220693990895

And test around your work area and house.... then YOU will cringe...

Your #1 thing is clean clean clean. Use some oily sawdust and get all the dust out of your work area. Clean it up including mopping hard surfaces and throwing out old nasty rugs....

Next.... Drink water.... LOTS of water.... Eyeballs floating amounts of water... Enough water where your doctor won't complain about "You aren't drinking enough water" and it will start to flush out.... It will come out...

But you HAVE TO stop putting it in you or you won't get anywhere...

[fredj338]

Vita C in the form of grapefruit pectin has some merit. Also:
Researchers have identified metallothionein-like proteins on chlorella that may explain its ability to detox heavy metal poisoning. Unlike chlorella, spirulina contains a phytochemical called phycocyanin which may bind to and detox heavy metals

[JohnnyB63114]

Silly question, but if lead just lays around in chunks (not melting or dust) can it raise your levels?

[greenwart]

Cilantro https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...y/68285600.cms It seems like a lot of cilantro, but my nutritionist friend has suggested it for general cleansing.

Another site with a more detailed procedure.

https://www.nihadc.com/library/detox...cept_license=1

[Peregrine]

Silly question, but if lead just lays around in chunks (not melting or dust) can it raise your levels?

No. It does not offgas.
You have to either inhale or ingest metallic lead/lead oxide or you can absorb certain lead salts through the skin, such as lead styphnate which is found in primers.

[white eagle]

I know we all do what we can to prevent getting elevated levels of lead in our blood. An ounce of prevention vs a pound of cure. But, just out if curiosity, other than time, is there anything that will help remove lead from blood? Kinda like the whole drinking milk after welding galvanized metal.

I'm talking about AFTER it's there. Not ways to prevent it.

I think I, and we, should probably get our blood tested, will most clinics be able to do that?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

step away from the lead

[Beetmagnet]

I recently had to deal with this based off of user error. After casting 36,000 bullets in January my levels were good, but between January and October a blood test during a physical found my lead levels spiked very suddenly. My wife who works in the Health care field was apoplectic, and I was vexed as I go to great lengths to avoid lead exposure.

A well known competitive shooter cued me into what I did. I tumbled 10 gallons of 9mm brass in 2 Lyman Tumblers with walnut media outside my shop that basically got sucked into the air unit in the window, right into my face as I loaded ammo inside. That competitive shooter had lead levels in the upper 20s and made them go down through natural means over time. Another local shooter whose levels were in the 30's gave me a similar story with the same advice.

I researched this thoroughly, and am implementing their advice with a few things I found out. When I have my levels checked out again in April I'll report back here and tell if it works.

This is what I found out.
Yes, Vitamin C helps reduce lead in the body. For reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866087/

However, large doses of Vitamin C, especially synthetic varieties cause Kidney stones. I found this out the hard way. I always took large amounts of Vitamin C anytime I casted believing it would eliminate lead. I was talking 2 packs of the Emergen-C powder a day, when a kidney stone put me down. It hurt so bad I named it. But For reference:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255923.php#1

Lead accumulates in your digestive tract and airways first before accumulating heavily in your liver. It finally settles in your bones where it is difficult to get rid of.
The Chelation therapy works definitely. It takes about a year to do. If you don't like doctors or dont have good health insurance their are natural means. Be aware that natural means and Chelation therapy takes time to work; this is not a 1 month and you're done kinda thing.

Bentonite clay is extremely effective in getting rid of lead. It is negatively charged and immediately bonds to positively charged lead, then is eliminated when you defacate. In fact Bentonite will eliminate all heavy metals...and pretty much everything it comes into contact with. Don't take any medication or supplements within 2 hours of taking the clay or it will eliminate that too. I have begun using the Bentonite detox a previous poster mentioned. After researching it, I believe it is a great idea to use it when you are casting. For reference:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/art...hp#weight-loss

The lead soap and lead off hand wipes work the same way bentonite does in that they pull lead off through chemical bonding. My research told me the soap is much less effective than the wipes. I have always used the wipes after shooting competitions and such.

Milk Thistle is an herb that will bond to the lead in your liver and pull it out of your body. I am currently taking this. The competitive shooter I mentioned earlier directed me to this and said it got his levels to normal.

Most types of liver detox will help. The liver is the bodies filter and will accumulate lead before it deposits in the teeth and bones. There are many types of liver detox...Amazon has lots. They probably will contain Milk Thistle. You can get it in pills or tea.

I think my current level is at a 12 or 15...have to consult the wife to make sure. I'll report back in late April and tell if any of the above worked or not.

[igolfat8]

My number was 39 because I cleaned our lead traps with no protection. Started wearing a good respirator and my number dropped to 13 at my next annual check up. It’s remained at 13 for the last few years.