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View Poll Results: What are your blood lead levels and has your doctor prescribed treatment?

Voters
1287. You may not vote on this poll
  • 10 mcg/dL or less

    385 29.91%
  • 11 to 25 mcg/dL

    106 8.24%
  • 25 to 44 mcg/dL

    46 3.57%
  • 45 mcg/dL or more

    19 1.48%
  • I've never been tested, but show no symptoms

    697 54.16%
  • I've never been tested, but DO show symptoms

    15 1.17%
  • My doctor prescribed treatment

    6 0.47%
  • My doctor did not prescribe treatment

    142 11.03%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Results 561 to 573 of 573

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

  1. #561
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Posts
    30
    Dillon

  2. #562
    Boolit Grand Master

    imashooter2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    PA
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    7,899
    Quote Originally Posted by Hanzy4200 View Post
    I m only 36 and have been casting for about 10 years. I've yet to get tested, though I probably should. On this note, a friend pulled out a bottle of "Lead Free" wet wipes the other day. For removal of heavy metals from hands. I don't recall the actual brand name. Anyone else use these?
    Only when a vendor puts them in a goodie bag at a match. Soap and water works just fine.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  3. #563
    Boolit Buddy rototerrier's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    456
    Just scored a 3, what do I win?

    I use d-lead hand soap and cleaning spray on my bench. Like others, I cast under a vent and melt batches outdoors. Avoid licking my fingers while handling or around lead... and in general.
    Last edited by rototerrier; 07-25-2021 at 08:58 AM.

  4. #564
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    599
    14 years after I first voted in this poll, and pretty much all the same comments are coming up repeatedly.

    In 2007 I voted in the 11-25 mcg/dL category because I was stupid one day and had a mug of coffee nearby while I was melting down wheelweights with all the attendant crap--dead leaves, dried chew spit, etc. The smoke from that mess contains organic lead compounds which settled on the surface of my coffee that day, and were later ingested by me while sipping my coffee during breaks.

    In 2021 I tested at about 2.5 mcg/dL despite casting in a closed garage repeatedly on a weekly basis, but using clean lead ingots. I also wash my hands after any handloading session like an intelligent person.

    My casting and handloading activity in 2021 far exceed what I did back in 2007, and yet my blood lead levels are far lower. The old advice of "don't smoke or drink anything while melting or casting, and you should be fine" is completely borne out by my personal experience.

    Metallic lead doesn't cause any problems. It's the organic lead compounds. Melt down your nasty wheel weights out in the open air. Don't breathe the smoke. Keep your coffee, cigarettes, or other consumables well away, and you'll be fine. Have a blood draw and get tested every couple of years, and then you'll know for certain. This isn't rocket science.

  5. #565
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    JAX, FL
    Posts
    1,228
    never been tested but have always wondered about all those sinkers I cinched down with my teeth as a kid. That aside I do try to avoid putting in a new pinch of tobacco while casting and reloading, but don't give it much of a thought when out shooting.

    I do believe we non-occupational folks get way too worried about asbestos and lead exposure. If you are not in the stuff five days a week for eight hours a day, the chances of approaching the OSHA published numbers are very unlikely.
    “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.” Ronald Reagan


  6. #566
    Boolit Buddy max it's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Kalifornia, are we done here yet?
    Posts
    205
    finally my lead blood count is down to 6dll/mcg! this after a high of 20.
    the main culprit is primers: cleaning brass, and indoor shooting together with picking up range brass. However casting and smelting lead is sure to have added to it. So yesterday i completed a course of IV Infusions for Iron Deficiency Anemia, sure to be involved in the blood lead issue. It made me weaker by far. Now coming back. Thank God and the Drs.
    Stay Safe! see other threads on Lead in blood.
    (i think i will double post this memo )

  7. #567
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Northern New England
    Posts
    25
    Just got tested for the first time, 6.6. I have been reloading for only 3 years. Have not started casting yet, but have been melting down range scrap into ingots in preparation. Wearing a 3M respirator "out of an abundance of caution" when I melt.

  8. #568
    Banned
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    3,409
    You can get lead dust poisoning from decapping primers AND vibrator (dry) cleaning brass.

    My latest lead test result:
    LEAD, BLOOD (VENOUS) -
    About this test

    Details Component Results
    Component Your Value Standard Range
    Lead - Blood 15.2 ug/dL <=4.9 ug/dL


    (NOTE)
    INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION: Lead, Blood (Venous)
    Elevated results may be due to skin or collection-related
    contamination, including the use of a noncertified lead-free tube.
    If contamination concerns exist due to elevated levels of blood
    lead, confirmation with a second specimen collected in a certified
    lead-free tube is recommended.
    Information sources for reference intervals and interpretive
    comments include the "CDC Response to the 2012 Advisory Committee
    on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Report" and the
    "Recommendations for Medical Management of Adult Lead Exposure,
    Environmental Health Perspectives, 2007." Thresholds and time
    intervals for retesting, medical evaluation, and response vary by
    state and regulatory body. Contact your State Department of Health
    and/or applicable regulatory agency for specific guidance on
    medical management recommendations.
    Age Concentration Comment
    All ages 5-9.9 ug/dL Adverse health effect
    s are
    possible, particularly in
    children under 6 years of
    age and pregnant women.
    Discuss health risks
    associated with continued
    lead exposure. For children
    and women who are or may
    become pregnant, reduce
    lead exposure.
    All ages 10-19.9 ug/dL Reduced lead exposure and
    increased biological
    monitoring are recommended.
    All ages 20-69.9 ug/dL Removal from lead exposure
    and prompt medical
    evaluation are recommended.
    Consider chelation therapy
    when concentrations exceed
    50
    ug/dL and symptoms of
    lead toxicity are present.
    Less than 19 Greater than Critical. Immediate medical
    years of age 44.9 ug/dL evaluation is recommended.
    Consider chelation therapy
    when symptoms of lead
    toxicity are present.
    Greater than 19 Greater than Critical. Immediate medical
    years of age 69.9 ug/dL evaluation is recommended
    Consider chelation therapy
    when symptoms of lead
    toxicity are present.
    This test was developed and its performance characteristics
    determined by ARUP Laboratories. It has not been cleared or
    approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This test was
    performed in a CLIA certified laboratory and is intended for
    clinical purposes.
    Performed By: ARUP Laboratories
    500 Chipeta Way
    Salt Lake City, UT 84108
    Lab
    oratory Director: Tracy I. George, MD

  9. #569
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    55
    What are some of the symptoms Does a routine physical blood test reveal high levels

  10. #570
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Posts
    30
    You do not want to wait for symptoms, be proactive, measure the blood levels and act accordingly.
    Last edited by RugerFanOH; 12-18-2021 at 06:39 PM.

  11. #571
    Boolit Buddy fn1889m's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    145
    Someone wrote: “I dropped steadily once I started being more careful of the dust in spent brass. Digging through buckets of brass and the vibrating polisher were the culprits.”

    I had my doctor do a test the last time I had my cholesterol tested. It came back a “4”. The lab used “5” as the cut off. Dr was unconcerned. I was more concerned than the doctor. I couldn’t figure out where the “4” came from unless it’s from cleaning brass. I only melt and cast outside. No food or drink. But I deprime and clean the primer pockets by hand, and use dry media for polishing in a vibrating tumbler, indoors. I think I can clean both of those processes up with a little effort. I put a solid lid on the vibrating tumbler, replacing the ventilated lid. (I’m not sure why Lyman put a ventilated lid on their vibrating Tumblr in the first place, but I replaced mine with a frisbee.) I also collect range lead, but only when the ground is wet, which is pretty often in the Pacific Northwest.

    I like this thread. I don’t think concern about lead is a conspiracy thing. If you don’t like the thread you don’t have to read it. But I appreciate knowing what numbers other people get, and what they do to reduce their lead intake. Safety is more than just muzzle control, maybe.
    Last edited by fn1889m; 12-18-2021 at 06:39 PM.

  12. #572
    Boolit Grand Master

    imashooter2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    7,899
    Concern about lead isn’t a conspiracy, but the fear is overblown and the standards doctors now use before they tell you there is a problem are ridiculous. 5 for a developing infant is a concern. Not damaging, but a concern to eliminate the source before levels rise to damaging. 5 for a grown adult is low and no concern at all.

    We are a long way down the road from leaded gas and ghetto babies eating paint chips.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter

    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  13. #573
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    644
    switching from dry tumbling to wet tumbling dropped my lead levels from 8.2 to 6.3 over the last 6 mo.
    Loren

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check