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

[redgum]

Latest test showed 8.9, Doc said it's reasonable unless it approached 20-24
JeffinNZ you are a 'lead-pig', what steps will you take

[mpmarty]

Lead doesn't absorb through skin easily, I think the warnings of not smoking/eating are useless. If someone is stupid enough to EAT lead, well... don't tell the Democrats, they already have enough people to save themselves from themselves.

BS my boolits fly right through skin.

[JeffinNZ]

Latest test showed 8.9, Doc said it's reasonable unless it approached 20-24
JeffinNZ you are a 'lead-pig', what steps will you take

Yeah. Thinking of having the wife smelt ME down!

I haven't done any casting since the test. Pretty much no loading either. Going forward I will apply a barrier cream to my hands while loading and scrub death out of them once done.

Starting to think some range work I did in September might be at fault. I check out the bullet catchers and the rubber chip in them and wore a respirator for safety. Beginning to think I inhaled some air borne lead and the respirator did not seal correctly.

[whisler]

Respirator seal can be a tricky thing especially with any facial hair. I was taught to clamp my hands over both canisters (assuming a double canister respirator) and trying to breathe in. This will show up any leaks. Hope this helps and all goes well with lead level reduction.

PS. If you were just using a dust mask of the paper type, forget it, they are useless.

[delt167502]

I guess some of us older shooters are lucky to lived thru mercury( used to use it to remove lead in our barrels,it eats lead) lead poison (been casting for 60 years)no problems.worked as a plumbers helper in the late 50's found out not to dump wet ingots in to a hot pot.(the hard way) worked with a painter painting grain elevators paint or the lead in it tases bad. (probably should have used the masks) but the last test came out below a 7.so I guess i'll just keep casting.take no great care casting 4-6 of us get together and cast about 300# of bullets then try to shoot them up, so we can cast some more good luck all

[brad925]

For the vast majority of us casting bullets is not a problem, relative to lead poisoning. If you are careful not to eat, drink or smoke until AFTER you have washed your hands (while casting/handling lead), you're probably OK! The majority of high lead levels among casters & shooters can usually be traced back to lots of shooting on an indoor range. You'll pick up a lot more lead from the spent primer residue in the gunsmoke than you will by casting bullets!

centershot


"Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity.......and I'm not sure about the universe."

Albert Einstein

I Have to agree here based on what i have read over the last 4 months. From what i have been able to gather lead does not produce fumes until it reaches between 1800 and 2000 degrees. Well above what we would be heating for casting. The biggest factor for contracting lead in your system is smoking while casting and not washing your hands. Personally i wear surgical gloves under my leather gloves. The leather gloves are kept in a plastic bag so they will not be used for anything else. Lead dust is also a culprite but unless your grinding it for some reason i would not worry about it. I also wear a resperator rated for lead and fumes but more for the initial smelting. After that i worry more about gaging on the smoke from the flux but a good fan usually takes care of that.

[delt167502]

to you brad925; the lead you pick up casting bullets would almost have to be injested or inhaled as long as you ventilate the smoke out there isn't a problem and wash your hands after casting ,which most of us do after any job. a lot of people worry more than is really nessary.

[silverbuzzard]

I eat lead for breakfast

[TAWILDCATT]

I cant believe youall have kept this scam going for page after page.I an 85 have been casting since 1937.never had a problem.yes I have been tested.never wore gloves,seldom washed my hands after casting.was a compeditive shooter for 30 yrs.shooter since 1937.and compeditor in school in 1940 to 43. and club from 1969 to 2000.
dont smoke and dont eat/drink while casting.

[afish4570]

A nurse that used to shoot with us told that one. Also if you take calc., magnesium and zinc pills that too helps. How much it will reduce I don't know. Years ago Milt (don't know last name) used to sell and manuf. cast bullets. Got lead poisoned bad. Met him at a local gun show working a booth selling some ofhis remaining stock. He had gone thru chelation therapy. Said he felt so good that in his mid 70's he took to running in a few senior marathons. Wife couldn't understand how he had erased 10 plus years off of his age. Story went on that he said alot of movie stars and big buck people had it done (expensive and not covered by health insurance for their reason) and were clients of his doctor (or group).....just alittle info passing on for what its worth. afish4570

[RP]

without going back and reading every post what are the signs of lead poisioning ?
Is it being grumpy or strong attaction for women and beer? Or wanting more and more guns and reloading stuff? if so iam got it. But I really dont know what any signs of it.

[imashooter2]

Post #15:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...5&postcount=15

[runfiverun]

i recently had mine done.
right after two days of casting just over 12 hrs worth.
i smoke, and drink soda while casting.
must be the gloves i wear and take off to do so,plus washing after casting and before eating.
my level was an 8 ,not bad as i worked with lead oxide for a couple of years,and casted bout everyday when commercial.
but i figured after that and no vent in the garage when casting in the winter, i must be doing something right.

[moses]

Wide ranging results here. Seems like casting is not the usual cause for LP.

[delt167502]

lead must be bad for you, if you send it to me ,i'll dispose of it .i don't charge for this service. so please pay the freight . PM ME.

[old turtle]

I saw a report several years ago which pointed out that the greatest exposer to lead was in the 50s from lead in gasoline. People in the large cities had the highest levels. Use common sense such as displayed in many of these answers and you should be ok. My mother did not allow me to eat the paint off the walls and I do not chew on boolits or smell the fumes coming off the lead pot. Net result I have no problems at 71.

[qajaq59]

My opinion is sort of like Scrooge's........

[Rockchucker]

I'm going on my 2nd year of casting boolits, and have cast only around 15,000 boolits so far. I just got my lab results back today an it looks like I'm a solid 8, 0 to 10 is normal. I do use a small exhust fan and wash my hands after casting or smelting but thats all. Now if the rest of the lab work looked this good I'd be mighty happy.

[ahhbach]

The 'LEAD is BAD for you" is one of the many ways the Anti-Gun people get ranges shut down. Lead poisoning is serious but hardly the end-all that people put it out to be. Lead is a NATURALLY occuring element it isn't like lead just jumped up in the last 25 years or so... From reading the posts it sounds to me like some people are either susceptible to Lead poisoning and/or eating the stuff. I cast ALOT and reload and shoot more than most people. My lead levels seem normal 2-3-4 in that range and I work with lead sheath in my job. Maybe what y'all that are worried about Lead poisoning should do is send me your lead and i'll make good use of it.

Brian Murphy

[wizard93]

Any time I'm sitting here at my computer I'm exposed to thousands of cast boolits. Beside my left foot is a can with muzzleloader REALS and balls in it. By my right foot is a large plastic tray full of 38/357 158 gr. swc boolits, probably over 500 of them. Right behind me is my reloading bench and it's covered with cast boolits, my RCBS boolit sizer lubricator, etc.

I was having health issues this past spring and I mentioned to my doctor that I cast boolits as a hobby and would like to have my lead level drawn. When it came back, it was read as <1.4 mcg/dl. That is WAY below noticeable levels for ANYONE, even those who aren't around guns at all.

In my personal view, lead toxicity is WAY overrated.

wizard93