lead poisoning from indoor range
Quote:
Originally Posted by
imashooter2
Every time bullet casting comes up in discussion on another board there will be a poster that responds with something along the lines of:
"OMG! Don't you know that lead is poisonous and hazardous material? Don't go near it or you'll need serious medical help. A single ingot in your basement will kill your parakeet!"
So, we have over 3,000 members here now. A fair percentage of those have been casting a whole lot and for more than just a couple of years. Let's quantify the results...
This poll will allow multiple selections. Please indicate your blood levels and whether or not your doctor prescribed treatment.
I used to shoot a couple of evenings a week at an indoor range in Brea, CA.
I didn't think the ventilation was that great, but they swore the guy from CAL OSHA checked it as often as was required.
I used to work in a steel mill, and I should have known that when I blew black **** out of my nose after every range session there was a problem.
Had the doc draw blood, and I was right around the action point of, I believe, 35 micro grams per what-ever. She wanted me to stop casting and blah blah blah. I told here we would try it my way and if in six weeks it wasn't better, then I'd try here way. All I did was stop shooting at the stinking range. I continued to improve every six or so weeks, so no further action was necessary. She was also ready to call child protective services until I got extremely in her face (I had a couple of kids who frequented the garage.)
This was about 18 years back.
I was lucky we caught it when we did, because after a _very long_ time at that level or higher, the lead displaces calcium in your bones and can literally take a lifetime to get rid of.
I had her check my levels because I was having lots of trouble sleeping, getting numb limbs at night, and my stomach was getting cranky. All three together point to trouble. (qualifier: I am NOT a doctor.)
The DROSS is the worst part. You could swallow a couple of bullets and still not measure anything in your blood. Lead salts (like dross!) are very, very easily absorbed, especially in your eyes, nose and mouth. Primers are usually lead styphnate (sp ?), and that is just as bad, so handle spent primers with care. Dude, I mean that they are really, really nasty. Just like dross.
Don't smoke or handle food until you have thoroughly washed up.
I always put a fan blowing out the door when fluxing or cleaning the pot so that the debris is carried away from me (be UPWIND of the fan!)
I hope to God none of you cast in your kitchen. Or in the living areas of your house, for that matter.
30 years ago I was inspecting a Crane Packings mfg plant, and the fools were using sulfur salt injections to chealate the lead out of the blood of the other fools who were careless with the _powdered lead_ used in some of their packings. Bad business, that. It was astounding, as chelation therapy was deemed bad medical practice in the 1930s.
mac
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