What are your thoughts on lead exposure?

I got this from a toxicologist:

Much of the information out there about lead poisoning is nothing more than alarmist science. I work in a toxicology lab and am always amazed at the bad rap that lead gets. Let's look at a few things:

- The lead in lead paint is in the form of organic lead and lead salts, NOT METALLIC LEAD. Both organic lead and lead salts are easily absorbed if you eat something contaminated with it or put your fingers in your mouth after handling something contaminated with it.

- Lead poisoning of waterfowl after eating the metallic lead. This is actually true and why I think so many folks are so scared of metallic lead. But there is a big difference between waterfowl and humans. Waterfowl have gizzards. The lead shot that the bird eats gets trapped in the gizard and very slowly erodes, is converted into bioavailable lead salts thanks to digestive acids, and is absorbed into the circulation. This can only occur because the lead shot gets stuck in the gizzard and is continuously ground releasing microscopic lead particles into the digestive tract.

Humans do not have a gizzard and thus a lead pellet and other metallic lead will pass thru quickly and no harm will come of it.

- But I know PB enthusiasts that have suffered lead poisoning from handling lead bullets. No you don't. The biggest problem that PB enthusiasts have with lead is from the propellant. When the propellant burns it gives off vapors of lead salts (again, not metallic lead). These lead salts are dangerous and why you should not routinely shoot a PB indoors, except in a very well ventilated range.

- What about lead dust? What if you inhale lead dust?

Have you ever seen lead dust? I bet you really haven't. It is still lead and no matter how fine a dust particle it is ground in to, it is still many, many, many, many, many times heavier than air and immediately falls to the floor. Now I'm sure that you could devise a way to inhale lead dust, but it would need to be intentionally done.

- What about that black stuff I get on my fingers after handling CPL and CPH pellets. That stuff is not lead (IIRC it is actually graphite) and even if it was lead your body has no easy way of absorbing metallic lead.

- Lead vapors, what about lead vapors? I heard they are extremely toxic. And if we are melting lead to cast our own pellets, or bullets, or fishing sinkers, then we will die.

No you won't, unless you have a really, really hot smelting furnace. Lead melts at 328 Celsius (622 F) but doesn't vaporize until around 1,700 Celsius (3,092 F). Now should you actually reach the vaporization temperature, you will have a problem.

I could go on, but will stop at this point.
I collect old pellet tins and boxes. It's not unusual to find quite a bit of dust in the bottom of the containers, which will get airborne like talcum powder when disturbed. I started wearing a mask when cleaning the pellets because I wasn't sure exactly what the grayish dust is. Always assumed lead powder.
 
Dont care. Played with pounds of mercury as a kid. Many other “dangerous“ chemicals in early work life. Sucked 40 years
of diesel exhaust working around high revving trucks. Scraped electrical steam plant boilers asbestos covered insulation.
Watched as the power company got rid of all the cleaners and sprays and such which are now deemed TOXIC will kill you.
So now I shoot lead in my 13 yard basement. Don’t care
 
This whole discussion reminds me of the weather , When the scientists say "the weather next few years is going to be signifyingly warmer than the last few years " now if you read the published reports you find that " signifyingly warmer " equals one tenth of one degree throughout the cycle . which means some plants and animals might not reproduce as normal. Also Air Gunners will complain of hot weather shooting . Sweaty hands loading pellets .
 
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I believe it was the yellow forum that a fellow had his doctor check his lead level every year. He had the same concerns as many do. He said with all of the shooting he did his levels never changed. A lake I used to swim in had large chunks of 20 or 30 pound natural occurring lead. We had lead mines all around this part of central Missouri. Mark
 
My thoughts...this crap comes up every couple of months.

As long as you are not eating pellets by the tin....you are fine. And even then your body will pass them with not much leeching into your system.

Precisely.

It's like one of those " Are Moderators Legal" threads 🥴
 
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Saw this video today and made me wonder what my exposure is.
Has anyone been tested for lead exposure?

I always understood the main risk point was eating with dirty hands which I try not to do.
Check this video out and let me know your experience/thoughts.

Fyi. I do use these hand wipes after shooting.
Saw this video today and made me wonder what my exposure is.
Has anyone been tested for lead exposure?

I always understood the main risk point was eating with dirty hands which I try not to do.
Check this video out and let me know your experience/thoughts.

Fyi. I do use these hand wipes after shooting.
Wash your hands and don’t eat your pellets😜
 
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I got this from a toxicologist:

Much of the information out there about lead poisoning is nothing more than alarmist science. I work in a toxicology lab and am always amazed at the bad rap that lead gets. Let's look at a few things:

- The lead in lead paint is in the form of organic lead and lead salts, NOT METALLIC LEAD. Both organic lead and lead salts are easily absorbed if you eat something contaminated with it or put your fingers in your mouth after handling something contaminated with it.

- Lead poisoning of waterfowl after eating the metallic lead. This is actually true and why I think so many folks are so scared of metallic lead. But there is a big difference between waterfowl and humans. Waterfowl have gizzards. The lead shot that the bird eats gets trapped in the gizard and very slowly erodes, is converted into bioavailable lead salts thanks to digestive acids, and is absorbed into the circulation. This can only occur because the lead shot gets stuck in the gizzard and is continuously ground releasing microscopic lead particles into the digestive tract.

Humans do not have a gizzard and thus a lead pellet and other metallic lead will pass thru quickly and no harm will come of it.

- But I know PB enthusiasts that have suffered lead poisoning from handling lead bullets. No you don't. The biggest problem that PB enthusiasts have with lead is from the propellant. When the propellant burns it gives off vapors of lead salts (again, not metallic lead). These lead salts are dangerous and why you should not routinely shoot a PB indoors, except in a very well ventilated range.

- What about lead dust? What if you inhale lead dust?

Have you ever seen lead dust? I bet you really haven't. It is still lead and no matter how fine a dust particle it is ground in to, it is still many, many, many, many, many times heavier than air and immediately falls to the floor. Now I'm sure that you could devise a way to inhale lead dust, but it would need to be intentionally done.

- What about that black stuff I get on my fingers after handling CPL and CPH pellets. That stuff is not lead (IIRC it is actually graphite) and even if it was lead your body has no easy way of absorbing metallic lead.

- Lead vapors, what about lead vapors? I heard they are extremely toxic. And if we are melting lead to cast our own pellets, or bullets, or fishing sinkers, then we will die.

No you won't, unless you have a really, really hot smelting furnace. Lead melts at 328 Celsius (622 F) but doesn't vaporize until around 1,700 Celsius (3,092 F). Now should you actually reach the vaporization temperature, you will have a problem.

I could go on, but will stop at this point.
Very interesting, it would be interesting too which actual real dangers he would mention to take care of (i think there are so many dangerous/health damaging substances in cleaners, design floors, construction stuff and so on...)

PTFE fitting band seems to be very poisonous (alias Teflon)...? Like all the flourated polys...gore tex...who did not wear shoes with gore tex these days when outside in the woods....
 
Dont care. Played with pounds of mercury as a kid. Many other “dangerous“ chemicals in early work life. Sucked 40 years
of diesel exhaust working around high revving trucks. Scraped electrical steam plant boilers asbestos covered insulation.
Watched as the power company got rid of all the cleaners and sprays and such which are now deemed TOXIC will kill you.
So now I shoot lead in my 13 yard basement. Don’t care
Played with some mercury back in HS chemistry, Been casting bullets off and on for about 60 years. The one thing you mentioned that is definetly dangerous is asbestos,

I worked as a hospital pharmacist and had to prepare IV infusions to treat some people for lead poisoning. We had some tried a business of lead recycling from old automotive batteries. He did not have proper equipment nor protective clothing for workers and they had extremely high lead levels from contact with diluted battery acid which contained a lot lead sulfates . Pure metallic lead is ok to handle, in moderation, but lead salts in solution are dangerous..
What we treated them with were other chemicals known as chelating agents, which bind up the heavy metals, ie, lead, and then they are excreted by the kidneys. Some folks required several treatments over a period of a couple of months.
 
Started casting after getting a big bore last year. Had my doctor do a base line test, then well have one done annually. They're already drawing blood anyway so one more test isn't going out of the way. More of a better safe than sorry thing really. Doctor is probably more concerned than I am.
Between years cement, fly ash, gravel dust at a concrete plant; then diesel fumes and bathing in used motor oil, plus parts wash as a mechanic; and now particleboard and plywood dust in a wood mill; then add in years of drug/alcohol use, and smoking in my younger days and I should probably already be dead from all the toxins I've been exposed to.
Doubt a little lead will do much damage at this point. However, I do take precautions when casting simply because there's no point in being careless.
 
Im 68 and can remember spitting lead shot out at supper when i was a kid, biting lead sinkers on fishing line and handling lead all my life and im still here. Im not saying its good for you but like all things today people make extremes of everything so they can be heard
I forgot about doing that! I remember crimping lead split weights with my teeth all the time as a teenager.
 
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I was tested about 9 years ago and my blood lead level was 47 PPM. Normal is less than 4 PPM. I was a competitive pistol shooter (25K+ rounds / year) and cast all my own lead bullets. I also shot a fair amount indoors with a poor ventilation system which I think was the source of my lead elevation issue. I began wearing a respirator while shooting indoors and my lead levels have dropped consistently since and last year my number was 12. Still 3X normal but significantly lower that 9 years ago.