Lead Exposure

[largecaliberman]

Around 10 months ago, I got a lead level check on a routine blood test for cholesterol. The results 10 months ago was 8ppm. Recently I went through a cholesterol check and requested for a lead check and the results came back with a lead level check of 11.3 ppm. The doctor said that 10ppm was the alert level and I just don't want it to go any further.

Question: Has anyone encountered this problem? If so, what can be done? I don't want to give up this hobby.

I recently purchased some vitamins and food supplements that claims to rid the body of heavy metals called Metal Magnet that I found on amazon.com and a product called Sonne 7 that claims to do the same plus other toxins such as THC


In the meantime, I'll try the products and will go for another checkup in two months. Any suggestions at this point?

[felix]

Zinc pills. Suck on them. Swallowing makes some folks have a tummy ache. Good for reducing prostate size too. Remember, zinc is also toxic, so take just enough for the lead levels to go down to "normal". ... felix

[R.M.]

My levels have been hanging around 18/19 for years. My Dr. says 18 is borderline toxic, and as long as it stays there, no problem. My wife's was up over 30 for a while. We've been taking 1000mg of Vitamin C which is supposed to help. Hers is back down about 15 now after wearing a resperator while shooting indoors.
Keep an eye on it, but don't fret about it either. One guy at our club has a level of 65, and he doesn't cast, just shoots a lot.

[9.3X62AL]

Orange juice is a chelating agent for lead, I drink a lot of that and lead levels don't even bump on my annual "drug lab leftover" testing I get. The EPA needs to find another bogeyman, AFAIC.

[Lloyd Smale]

I was treated twice for high levels once at 65 and once at 40 with chelting medication precribed by the doctor. Last time it took it down to about 10 and the doc wasnt conserned at that level. Should get it checked again soon.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Zinc pills. Suck on them. Swallowing makes some folks have a tummy ache. Good for reducing prostate size too. Remember, zinc is also toxic, so take just enough for the lead levels to go down to "normal". ... felix

And I always thought that you had to aviod zinc when casting (just joking).

I used to mix red lead into paint for my grandfather when I was a child helping him and did a lot of casting and loading for the pistol club (all lead) and, to top it off I used to shoot a revolver in an indoor range. I went to the Doc and got tested and he said that I was barely on the scale. Go figure.

What he did say that most people who had a lead problem ate the old flakes off flaky paint as children, because it has a sweet taste (old lead based paint) or sucked on lead pencils constantly. I'm 58 and the lead was taken out of these when I was in primary school. They used to go blue if you wet the lead (in your mouth of course, )

It never occured to me to eat paint flakes as a child, even though there was always things lined up outside grandpa's oaintshop awaiting our attention. If another child had of told me it tasted good at that stage I probably would have tried it. My sister and I used to eat gazillions of little flowers mum had in her garden because they used to taste ok and tingle on your tongue, heaven knows what was in them. Mick.

[NVcurmudgeon]

It may not be casting that is causing high lead levels. Lead vaporizes at a temperature much higher than would be practical for casting boolits. If memory serves, it is about 1200 F. Back before the EPA's crusade on lead, it was a common affliction of automobile mechanics, painters, and urban residents. About four years ago Shooters had posts from a number of us, including me, who had been tested for lead. We were all normal, or at least our lead level was normal. My total precaution program has been:
1. good ventilation
2. no eating, drinking, or smoking while casting or smelting
3. wearing gloves and washing hands thoroughly after lead exposure
I began serious casting in the mid sixties, and was tested for lead in 2002. I am more concerned about the grease, paint, dog urine, and unknown substances I may breathe while smelting than I am about lead.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Get your hound to hell outa there curmudgeon, Phewwwwwwww!

Wiping your nose if you sniffle is a high risk thing as well as washing, eating, etc as the membrane is porous there. We were always careful when working in prison hospitals and wiped our noses on our sleeve if it was really driving you mad while you were in the middle of something. Mick.

[trooperdan]

Actually, I've been afraid to ask for a lead level check with I see the doc. I've heard that if you are over some EPA defined limit, a report has to be made to EPA or someone and a survey had to be done to locate the source of the lead. I read on another forum of a guy who's young son came up "hot" for lead and his house was condemmed until he spent about $30,000 on lead abatement procedures.

Does anyone know if this is indeed the case?

[PatMarlin]

Casting fumes are the least of the problem. What's the highest lead exposer for cast booliteers is case tumbling. Do NOT do it in the house, and make sure it's handled properly.

Eating and drinking is OK if you don't touch your food with lead fingers, but think about it... your reloding press, lube press, dies, computer keyboard, and bullets all probably have a lead residue.

I think it would be a good idea to do a wipe down, dispose of the cleaning apparatus and then wash you hands. Every time I get up and walk out of that room, I was my hands, and that's several times a day.

Gun cleaning and handling has lead too. Gotta be carful with that stuff. The case tumbling residue on surfaces and air is by far the worst...

[Wayne Smith]

I'm getting the lead out of my 8x56R Steyr now. Using everything from lead removal cloth, chore boy, to Hoppe's Elite. My hands have been black with the dissolved lead just from the cleaning rod. Bullets are the least of it!

LOML wanted me to have my lead levels tested this spring when I had a bunch of diagnostic blood tests done. My lab printed that 'normal' was 0.00-25.0 - no measure listed (PPM?). Mine was 4.9. This was after I had cast several hundred bullets the Sunday afternoon before the Monday AM blood drawing.

[Ron]

The Australian situation, at least for the state of Victoria is:-

Because our club shoots on an indoor Police Dept range, we have to submit blood test results to the Dept every 6 months. This also applies to all full time pistol/weapons instructors.

Normal blood/lead levels are:- Males 0.45 umol/L and females 0.42 umol/L.

Lead industry workers must be removed from the workplace if levels are at or exceed:-
Males/females not of reproductive capacity - 2.41 umol/L
females of reproductive capacity - 0.97 umol/L
females who are pregnant or breast feeding - 0.72 umol/L

N. H. & M. R. C. recommends that intervention must be conducted at the following levels:-
Children <= 3 years and pregnant women - > o.48 umol/L
Children > 3 years - > 0.72 umol/L

[arkypete]

There's more to the lead 'poisoning' then bullet casting, shooting indoors, dealing with lead based paint,etc.
A number of years ago I was restoring a home, burning the old paint of the wood work, inside, casting thousands of bullets out doors, that were shoot at an indoor range.
Then this whole hullabalew about lead got started, so I had a blood test. Blood levels of lead were below what the average guy on the street has.
Of course my wife at the time, was of the opinion that all the lead I ingested settled in my head, where it never moved.
Jim

[PatMarlin]

Mine has settled in my butt, so I don't worry about it..


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[KCSO]

Lead comes from holes in the ground and most of Missouri is topsoil over lead. If lead is this bad why is anyone still alive in Missouri. I worked side by side with a fellow casting and loading for our department and training on the range. His lead is 10 points higher than mine, no one can tell us why. Meanwhile my wife and I eat the same food every day and her chorosterol is high and mine is low.

At least when I kick off the doctors will be able to find a reason, it would sure be a shame to be laying there dead for no reason at all.

[robertbank]

Kind of a pain to be told you are dieing of nothing! What a bummer.

Take Care

Bob

[PatMarlin]

Well we really don't know if lead is bad for us do we? Just the levels, not the lead..

[robertbank]

Hey when I go my sons will be able to melt me down and use me for bullets. On second thought I don't think I will, might save all those virgins for those guys blowing each other up over Afghanistan. Like with my luck I'll get one who hides her face in a vail for a reason!

Take Care

Bob

[Lloyd Smale]

this is true. They contacted me and asked about lead in the workplace. I told them exactly how i got it and they did a couple follow up calls and that was it. No big deal. Just make sure if you dont want to get work involved you dont tell them that theres even a scrap of lead there. Ive been treated twice for it by a doctor and no one ever came knocking at my door.

Actually, I've been afraid to ask for a lead level check with I see the doc. I've heard that if you are over some EPA defined limit, a report has to be made to EPA or someone and a survey had to be done to locate the source of the lead. I read on another forum of a guy who's young son came up "hot" for lead and his house was condemmed until he spent about $30,000 on lead abatement procedures.

Does anyone know if this is indeed the case?

[PatMarlin]

That's just great. Keep a guy from getting checked cause he may get hammered financially and loose his home..

I was over in Vietnam and Cambodia in 97' and when I came home, I had a wittle stomach ache that would not quit.

I went to the Doc and he came back in the office with this shocked look on his face and said, "You've got Salmonella", and I said calm down Doc, and told him where I had just come from.

He had to report it. You woulda thought I had the Ebola plague as the health department goons came to my home, wanted to inspect my house, question every place I had been cause they didn't believe my story at first.

Incidentally- would they have done that with an "Undocumented Migrant Alien".... Hmmmm?..


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