Elevated lead levels in my blood

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Drink plenty of OJ.

[RayinNH]

It was outdoors. Our indoor range does not allow cast lead bullets.

It does if they are powder coated or at least they did. Ask again.

[FISH4BUGS]

It does if they are powder coated or at least they did. Ask again.

You are correct. PC is OK, cast lead is not. That's the reason I am not part of the indoor range.

[Rich/WIS]

Your body will naturally cleanse itself of lead, don't remember exactly the time frame but IIRC you will naturally eliminate about 50% every month.

[skeettx]

Good reading below

Whole-body lead elimination over the short term removes about 50–60% of the newly absorbed lead,
with a half-life in adult volunteers of about 20 days
(Rabinowitz et al., 1976; Chamberlain et al., 1978).

Of the deposited fraction, 50% (i.e., 25% of lead initially absorbed) is eventually eliminated.

https://www.nap.edu/read/2232/chapter/6#150

[FISH4BUGS]

OK....just took another blood test.
They had some concerns about low B12, but I asked for another lead check just to make sure.
If it comes back still high (not an error) I will set up an organic program to detox the lead.
I THINK it may well have come from handling 2000+ cast bullets while sizing on the Star (although i wash my hands at every break and don't smoke or eat while casting/sizing), or more to the point, the squirrel cage used to separate the media from the brass.
I do NOT use a mask then....it may well be the lead in the dust from the media.
At any rate, there is another follow up in 3 months so let's see what it looks like.

[John Guedry]

I studied plumbing in "trade school" in high school (1960-61) plenty of lead. Our instructor stressed drinking lots of milk. Don't know if it helps but have always tested ok on tests.

[Plate plinker]

I do, but that particular day I was at a range where semi auto only was the rule. I did mostly revolvers.
I will pay attention to the wind direction next visit to the range and will undergo a test in 3 months to see how it goes.

If you watch Jerry Miculek he has a big fan blowing the smoke away while he trains if possible. A great idea if one shoots higher round counts.

[Harter66]

I tested high once , 14 , 1 previous test at 11 and 4 post tests tapered down to 9 . The the only possible answer was a work exposure to a considerable quantity of oxidized 1954-58' galvanized and lead base painted stuffs . Oddly during the decline I was actually shooting , casting , and loading more than before the high test .

Chelation is the term , it basically means the consumption of huge volumes of vitamin C to leech out the heavy metals . One must be careful with it however because it can draw out bone stowed material and actually make a mild overdose a catastrophic disaster by pulling a huge quantity out all at once . Someplace here there is a thread with a couple of pharmacists and an LPN with study links .

Ultimately like anything else a test result only shows a high/low/normal and without a baseline for you it only means that it's H/L/N according to an average textbook number .

[FISH4BUGS]

Well the follow up test is done.
Low B12. That's easy. The doc offered shots or dietary supplements.
Being the organic kind of guy that I am I chose dietary supplements.
The lead tested again at 21.
While it isn't considered serious, it is enough of a concern to my doc that we will do it again in 3 months and monitor it.
In the meantime, I guess I will just have to be extra careful and do the squirrel cage media separator outside, wear a mask (jeez...isn't THAT something?) when casting, wash my hands a lot (like I already do), wear gloves when sizing/lubing, don't touch my face when working with reloading, and just be very careful.
Sounds like the Corona Virus BS all over again.
We will see....

[tankgunner59]

I haven't been tested but I only cast outside with a breeze blowing and a small fan blowing the same direction as the wind. I don't cast often like some others do, maybe once a month average in the warm months.

[FISH4BUGS]

I haven't been tested but I only cast outside with a breeze blowing and a small fan blowing the same direction as the wind. I don't cast often like some others do, maybe once a month average in the warm months.

My method is to have wintertime marathon casting sessions with 4-6-8 or 10 cavity moulds.
I am not exaggerating when I say it is typical to cast 1500-2000 bullets over a number of sessions.
The converted horse stall is pretty tight (barn boards must have SOME R value, right?) so it can be heated in the wintertime with a propane hurricane heater. I also had an exhaust fan put in when I did the conversion.
Casting 9mm is the highest quantity, with 38/357 2nd (double the amount - plain based and gas checked), 44 is third - just cast.
Then I size/lube and reload everything I cast in each caliber for the coming year....or as I estimate it to be. Then I can shoot all spring summer and fall and not have to worry about ammo supply.
I think the prolonged exposure to the casting (2 or 3 hours per session, 3-4 sessions per caliber), along with the case prep tumbling the brass then using a squirrel cage tumbler to remove the media exposes me to more and more lead....no matter how careful I am.
Pay attention boys and girls - lead can be anywhere and everywhere. You need to pay attention and get tested regularly at your annual physical.
I hope in 3 months the count is cut in half.
I'll let you know.

[Huskerguy]

Interesting info. I had my physical in May and I asked for a lead test. The Dr approved and at the visit he asked why I wanted it.

I told him I reloaded, melted lead, made my own bullets, shot in an indoor range and work on two rental houses that had lead in the painted areas I sanded.

Don't remember the exact number, it was slightly elevated, like 9 or 10 and he said they don't get concerned about that but it was higher than normal. He said at 20? they have to tell the county health department in case something is more wide spread.

He said there really isn't anything to do, it will go down over time by itself.

I have had two different lung diseases and try to be careful. I wear a dust mask pretty religiously when doing anything especially cleaning out my vibratory cleaner. I would love to go to a washing only unit. I wear gloves but they do tear and I don't always change them when they break. I don't eat or drink and never did smoke. I wash my hands all of time. I do shoot in an indoor range and this spring I melted probably 1,000 lbs of lead. The worst was the range scrap. I do wear a mask when melting and even when pouring along with using at least one fan.

I am one to believe you didn't get the contination from shooting and the wind. I also would want to look at your vibratory cleaner. I put a paper shop rag over the spindle along with liquid wax and it keeps the dust down but my lungs will tell you that stuff is nasty.

[farmbif]

I use a 12"x18 wire mesh tray and big plastic tub as media separator, no dust. put the tray in bottom of tub pour in contents of tumbler and lift with a couple shakes media stays in bottom of tub.

[tankgunner59]

AS far as my case cleaning goes, I always run every batch through a solution of hot water, a squirt of Dawn dish soap and about 1/8 teaspoon of Lemishine in a HF rock tumbler for 30 minutes. After they air dry I dry tumble in walnut shell media with a cap full of mineral spirits and a cap full of Nufinish car wax in a covered tumbler. I also cut used dryer sheetsinto 3 pieces and put them in the walnut shell media, they collect the dust in the tumbler.

[Geezer in NH]

along with the case prep tumbling the brass then using a squirrel cage tumbler to remove the media exposes me to more and more lead....no matter how careful I am..

I bet it is the dry tumbling and the dust it causes. Switch to wet tumble = no lead loaded dust from the primers left in the cases. I did and the sweet taste left in my mouth was gone from when I tumbled dry. My last test was a 3.