I got lead poisoning

[Stargazer]

I suffer from CRS. Can't remember ****. I do blood work for cholesterol so this time, due to this thread, I asked him to have them check my lead levels while we were at it. I have been reloading and shooting more here lately than ever, well, almost more. We figured it up one day and going through a brick of .22's a week added up to some mighty large numbers! That was in the past but I decided to have it checked anyway. It'll be 2-3 months before that happens again but I will post the results and the Doc's orders here then.

[Edward429451]

I had my levels checked back in Jan or Feb of this year and had no lead in my system. I've been casting most of my life, tumble brass indoors, scrounge range brass, and handle lead in plumbing work. I do not wear gloves when reloading and load/shoot 95% lead to jacketed.

I never go to indoor ranges, wash my hands every time I step out of the reloading room, wear gloves and long sleeved shirts when casting, and don't start seperating the brass from the media until some time has passed from shutting it off to allow the dust to settle.

Seems to work for me. I think hygine and reasonable precautions are all thats needed to be safe with lead. I can't help but feel that there is an unconsidered factor in the OP's situation. Does he never wash his hands?

[rwilson452]

HAd a friend that got lead. in the end it was a pewder (sp) mug he drank his Orange juice from every morning. He didn't know they contain lead and a acid juice will leach it out.

[JohnKSa]

For those who want more info on the topic and about the poster, you can check the following link.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=307170

[Gigem74]

There was one reply above that I believe nailed the issue. I believe shooters experience their highest lead exposure risk when tumbling brass and dealing with the cleaning media. Folks the the mercury in Primers was replaced by lead years ago. When you use those vibrating cleaners and then do the operation to separate the media with one of those salad spinners mounted above a 5 gal bucket, you are having a lead breathing party and coating your reloading space with lead dust. I don't believe there is any operation in reloading that has a more dangerous lead exposure threat.

[Silentarmy]

I plan on having a blood test as I sort through Thousands of pounds of fired brass with all associated dust/unburned powder/etc and get some nasty headaches during my long sorting days. I also Polish most of this brass in vibrating tumblers. I looked up symptoms of lead poisoning as I was curious but none sem to match up.
Invssgt, I see you are still wearing the Medal I gave you!

[xsquidgator]

I'm glad I saw this thread, since I reload with lead (and my lead boolit casting equipment will be arriving in a few days). I've been reloading for most of the last year (started reloading for the first time last spring, made and shot about 7000 rounds so far this year, almost all plain lead bullets). I asked for a lead test during my annual physical exam 2 weeks ago and was glad to have it come back "no detectable lead". I'm also glad to hear of a number of you who have been reloading, casting, and shooting lead for quite a while with no ill effects. Keeping tabs on your lead environment is important all right.

[grymster2007]

I seriously doubt you got lead poisoning from your loading/shooting activities. I smelted and machined massive amounts of lead in the 80's, was tested regularly and had completly normal levels. I handled and breathed it daily and I'd even find a few large chips in my coffee cup.

I'd look for another source.

[Sarge]

Invssgt, I see you are still wearing the Medal I gave you!

Darn tootin', Silent. A man don't get one of those everyday

[Unclenick]

Don't know about the poster, but got tested myself about 15 years ago when I was doing Gunsite classes and shooting a lot and casting and tumbling and shooting indoors (though most of us at the range took to wearing respirators with high rated fume/dust filters indoors). I was still below the line.

I think the safe blood levels were lowered because fetuses and children can develop serious problems from much lower exposure levels than an adult can handle without consequence, and they worry about transfer. It is why high exposure in an adult sets off alarms, in case there are kids or pregnant women sharing the environment.

It's been a few weeks since the original post, but were I Actionflies, I would be looking for an additional source, too. Any eating or drinking or cooking utensil from another country. I remember a bunch of leaded steel woks came in from China a few years ago and proved to be a source of consternation. Caveat emptor.

[joneb]

China is now known as buyer beware land or you get what you pay for dumb ass, land When will we wakeup and smell Juan Valdez Just remember what your supporting and who your not supporting.

[sbob63]

I think everyone assumes in here that lead is what you breathe after shooting the gun?

Lead can be absorbed through the skin, I wear gloves when handling lead bullets, and gloves when shooting, picking up brass, I also shoot outdoors, almost exclusively.

We have a old time shooter that told me to stay away from lead, he thinks years of reloading is killing him now...

I was shooting Ranier Leadsafe for that reason, but they got so expensive that I went to lead, so I wear gloves and shoot outside....

[brickeyee]

"Lead can be absorbed through the skin..."

I have yet to see a study demonstrating this.

[snuffy]

Lead can be absorbed through the skin, I wear gloves when handling lead bullets, and gloves when shooting, picking up brass, I also shoot outdoors, almost exclusively.

Lets make that read as follows;

Lead canNOT be absorbed through the skin.

The only way to get lead in your blood/body is by ingesting it. Either by mouth, or by inhaling it. Merely touching a lead bullet will not have it entering your body. That's propaganda put out by the greenies to destroy our way of life!:barf:

By simply washing your hands you can avoid any lead contamination from touching it. Being careful when operating a tumble that has fired cases in it is essential. The lead styfonate contained in the priming compound is a lead salt that more easily dissolves in lung mucous to enter the bloodstream. Wearing a mask or emptying the tumbler outside with a breeze to carry away the dust is a must.

[sbob63]

Dermal (skin) absorption

The ability of the skin to absorb certain organic lead compounds, such as tetraethyl lead found in petrol has been recognized since the 1940s. Recent laboratory research suggests inorganic lead compounds (e.g. lead nitrate, lead acetate and lead oxide) can be absorbed through the skin but in very small quantities. As a blood lead test is the most common detection method, additional research is needed on lead testing methods. Skin absorption may also pose a threat to workers in the construction trades and paint industry that are less likely to wear protective clothing to prevent lead dust from adhering to their skin


From the EPA Website..

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/le...htm#absorbtion

And you were saying...

[snuffy]

As I was saying, from your EPA,(greenies and English ones at that);

Dermal (skin) absorption

The ability of the skin to absorb certain organic lead compounds, such as tetra ethyl lead found in petrol has been recognized since the 1940s. Recent laboratory research suggests inorganic lead compounds (e.g. lead nitrate, lead acetate and lead oxide) can be absorbed through the skin but in very small quantities. As a blood lead test is the most common detection method, additional research is needed on lead testing methods. Skin absorption may also pose a threat to workers in the construction trades and paint industry that are less likely to wear protective clothing to prevent lead dust from adhering to their skin

Wow that's real definite, VERY SMALL QUANTITIES and the word MAY, not definitely.

Well I'm not worried. Be afraid if you want to, it won't hurt a thing. Be careful too, you'll need less Valium.

[sbob63]

Why do I bother?

[brickeyee]

Those are lead COMPOUNDS.
NOT metalic lead.

There is a huge difference in the behavior of metal compounds and pure metals.

You will NOT absorb metalic lead through your skin, nor get lead poisoning from eating lead shot.
We leave lead bullets in people all the time, and outside of synovial fluid in joints that MAY attack lead, they just sits there and do nothing.

If you touch lead and get some on your skin and THEN manage to ingest it you can absorb some.
The lead is finely divided and has a very large surface area.

[totalloser]

EAT TONS OF VITAMIN C. Look into chelation at your local health food store. Golden seal helps too. I do a lot of welding/fabrication, and have been poisoned a few times. The vitamin C helped a LOT. I was taking 2000mg 4 to 5 times a day at one point, and once my blood was cleaned out 2000mg in a day would send me to sit on the throne for a while. It helps your liver process toxins out.
Primer dust is nasty stuff, too.
Lead compounds CAN be introduced through the skin IF carried by a solvent. Not friggin likely, but if you are handling solvent and empties, I guess it's possible. Especially if the lead is exposed to an acid first. Now you leadaphobics; Your car battery is the nastiest form YOU'LL EVER SEE. I you are worried, the best source of info is a fresh crisp MSDS sheet.

[gopack]

The major pathway for lead is ingestion although it can be from inhaling dust. The major ingestion pathway is from water piping through acidic water or water treated with chloramine instead of chlorine. It's possible to get high levels of lead from handling lead and then handling something that goes into your mouth. Latex gloves or thorough handwashing will do fine for removing lead from reloading. (PS. Not a good idea to handle lots of lead if you have cuts on your hands). I wonder about the "handling lead" part since I've been handling lead sinkers, like most fishermen, for decades. I'd bet on some other environmental cause. High levels of lead is more common, and more of a problem, in very young children.

I checked the CDC website and they have very little information on actual lead poisoning cases. They also don't any history of mercury poisoning from ingesting fish except for Japan in the 1950's.

[auto45]

In several states, any blood test over "25" is reported to the health department problem and they, basically, call you up and ask, "what are doing?"

I'd google a lot more information about lead and shooting, talk to a doctor that's familiar with lead, etc. Lead levels of people that don't shoot, work in fields using lead can be 0,1, 2, 5, etc...by the way. So, that gives you an idea of what "numbers" mean.

Some posts here are good, and some are incredibly "poor" about lead exposure and the long-term effects of lead poisoning.

"Poor" means ignorant, misleading and foolish.

[The Tourist]

Originally Posted by auto45

"Poor" means ignorant, misleading and foolish.

I agree.

Until we get some reliable hard numbers available, most of the 'info' here will be conjecture or faulty. It might even scare some newbs away from starting handloading as a hobby.

There are lots of items out in the world that are dangerous, in fact, more dangerous than lead. But we get some info, and we handle these items with responsible barrier protection, be that gloves or respirators.

As for foolish, when I am wearing a tinfoil hat I want to be addressed as Fritz Doucheman, used black helicopter salesman...

[KW-Bane]

It could be that loaders who consume a certain volume of consumable blood cleansers flush out the harmful lead,

unless you are flushing with a bad "homebrew"....which is another possible source for lead

[Stargazer]

Here's a link with some useful information. Damn, I have lot's of these symptoms! We will see shortly what it reads as I give blood this month.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/l...oning-symptoms

[teeroux]

i wouldnt rule out another sorce of the lead.

do you work or live in an old building or mabe handled something with lead without knowing or even haveing been shot by a pelet gun when you were younger can keep lead in your body.