IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) It's quite apparent why lead is not on the list of suggested daily nutrients for healthy living... However just how careful is everyone? Do you wear nitrile gloves when running your press? Does anyone wear a mask when reloading? Is my basement now toxic? Am I freaking out for nothing? Hmmm? Edited December 22, 2016 by IGOTGLOCKED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3324temp Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I tumble and separate media outdoors but that's about it as far as lead concerns go.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 When you are r.o.ing a large match, and spending the day walking around in gas/lead/copper vapor clouds shot out at face level from open guns, the guy in the back of you head keeps wondering if this is not such a great idea. Maybe not a problem, just something that seems like maybe it could be bad for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 23 minutes ago, L3324 said: I tumble and separate media outdoors but that's about it as far as lead concerns go. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I do tumble and separate indoors but with an extraction fan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitman Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Blood lead level is part of the blood test panel I get every year and short of the year I was shoot at an indoor range every week my results have been within normal range, whatever that is. The 1 bad year it was something like 23. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotys Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I tumble and reload in the garage. I use nitrite gloves to both keep my hands clean and a little to avoid the nasty in the tumbler. The guys at the deer lease used to make fun of me for wearing them while I cleaned a deer. Then they asked to borrow some of mine. Someone will bring a full box each year now. We use the thicker black or blue mechanics nitrile gloves. I owned and managed an indoor shooting range for years, never had a problem. I'll ask my Dr to include lead test in my annual this year. You can get a lead (heavy metal) blood test for @$40 at any testing center if you're really concerned about it. I say don't chew on bullets or eat paint!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) 11 minutes ago, hitman said: Blood lead level is part of the blood test panel I get every year and short of the year I was shoot at an indoor range every week my results have been within normal range, whatever that is. The 1 bad year it was something like 23. I'm seeing recommendations of (BLLs <10 µg/dL) less than 10 micro grams per deciliter, children 5... https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ables/description.html Edited December 22, 2016 by IGOTGLOCKED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotys Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 The baseline for adults is 5 µg/dL. Workers are to be removed from the environment if >50. Here's a CDC article. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ables/description.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotys Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 4 minutes ago, Cotys said: The baseline for adults is 5 µg/dL. Workers are to be removed from the environment if >50. Here's a CDC article. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ables/description.html Sorry, referenced the exact same article. You beat me to it. Non-construction allows up to 60, not sure why. Workers can return to work at 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 4 minutes ago, Cotys said: Sorry, referenced the exact same article. You beat me to it. Non-construction allows up to 60, not sure why. Workers can return to work at 40. Yeah, those on the upper end must be wondering where all the weight gain is coming from! Geez, talk about someone needing to get the lead out - hahahahaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester121 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Wrong forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 My highest was in the low 20s, running an indoor match weekly and loading for that match... and shooting outdoors 3 times a month too. Quitting the indoor match alone halved my lead level, and switching from jacketed to coated bullets dropped it further still. FMJs have bare lead exposed on the base of the bullet, whereas HiTek coated bullets have no exposed lead at all. It hovers between 6 and 12 now when I have it checked, and I'm content with that. Especially since I work in an industrial setting and my baseline exposure level is expected to be higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12glocks Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 Don't shoot indoors all the time. Tumble outside, wash your hand after reloading, cast bullets outside. Get your lead level check annually. Mine is around 13-16. No reason to freak out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 (edited) I got to 28 shooting outdoors 6 times a month, USPSA/Steel Challenge/3 gun. It's not what you handle, it's what you breath in during firing, and more if you RO all the guys that run cast lead. Switched to Bayous and it dropped to 8 in 4 months, then to 6 after 4 more months. That's about the same as guys running full metal jackets, closed backs, because about 20% of the lead comes from the primer exhaust. Any lead is bad, but the standards vary, 20 is recreational, 40 is occupational. If you have never been checked, then do it. The older you are the less long term effect there is. Edited December 23, 2016 by 9x45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkvp9 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 US average is 1.2 I work on an indoor range 6 days a week and shoot 6 days a week and reload twice a week. My last BLL was 20 so I am now wearing a respirator for range cleanup and washing my hands many many more times a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatJones Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 I work at an indoor range. It's a new facility with very good ventilation. I've been as high as 20 but 12 to 16 is more typical. We get tested every 6 months. I'm not on the shooting deck very often, most of my exposure is from dirty guns. My numbers improved when I stopped eating lunch at my bench.I've started shooting coated bullets in an effort to reduce exposure. I've always tumbled brass out in the garage, never in the house.Wash your hands often, use cold water so the pores don't open up. Wash your hands before using the bathroom, the skin is thin in our genital areas and absorb lead faster than our hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 23, 2016 Author Share Posted December 23, 2016 5 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: My highest was in the low 20s, running an indoor match weekly and loading for that match... and shooting outdoors 3 times a month too. Quitting the indoor match alone halved my lead level, and switching from jacketed to coated bullets dropped it further still. FMJs have bare lead exposed on the base of the bullet, whereas HiTek coated bullets have no exposed lead at all. It hovers between 6 and 12 now when I have it checked, and I'm content with that. Especially since I work in an industrial setting and my baseline exposure level is expected to be higher. Sounds like you have it under control Memphis! 14 minutes ago, hkvp9 said: US average is 1.2 I work on an indoor range 6 days a week and shoot 6 days a week and reload twice a week. My last BLL was 20 so I am now wearing a respirator for range cleanup and washing my hands many many more times a day. It seems to be the numbers are quite varied. Perhaps some are less prone to ingestion/absorption? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 11 hours ago, 9x45 said: The older you are the less long term effect there is. Now that is just mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 11 hours ago, PatJones said: Wash your hands often, use cold water so the pores don't open up. Wash your hands before using the bathroom, the skin is thin in our genital areas and absorb lead faster than our hands. Actually lead cannot be absorbed thru your skin or thru your eye membrane. It has to be inhaled or ingested. Inhalation is the fastest way to absorb the most amount of lead directly into the bloodstream, whereas ingestion tends to take much longer to build up, because most of it is expelled. Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin. When lead is scattered in the air as a dust, fume or mist it can be inhaled and absorbed through you lungs and upper respiratory tract. https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10031 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjames32 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 I've been casting 50 years. I have an exhaust fan and a fan behind me aimed at the exhaust fan. I wash my hands before eating or taking a dip. My only high test was when I shot several times a week at an indoor range many years ago. Lead oxide is the biggie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickT Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 I use nitrile gloves when handling and tumbling fired brass. My tumbler has a cover and weather permitting I empty the tumbler outside. All of our shooting is outdoors. I reload only Hi-tek coated lead, but gloves wouldn't be a bad idea. BTW, the best nitrile gloves I've found are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007AO2FWK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I clean 2-3 guns 3 times per week and these gloves will last for at least 4-5 sessions without getting a cut. They are of course great for painting, etc. The thin blue goves just don't hold up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 1 hour ago, IHAVEGAS said: Now that is just mean. Yes, but true. One of our local hoser's got himself up to 78!. He was expelling from both ends, lips turned black, migraines, and finally a seizure. So he went into chelation therapy for 6 days. But when he returned to the range, he was just as goofy as before (72 years old)..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 regarding casting lead, post #16 https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=478387 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9x45 Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 56 minutes ago, pjames32 said: I've been casting 50 years. I have an exhaust fan and a fan behind me aimed at the exhaust fan. I wash my hands before eating or taking a dip. My only high test was when I shot several times a week at an indoor range many years ago. Lead oxide is the biggie! Actually not, PbO only forms at 1,100 degrees F and above. A normal lead melting pot operating at a liquid temperature of around 625 degrees F will not form lead oxide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGOTGLOCKED Posted December 23, 2016 Author Share Posted December 23, 2016 1 hour ago, 9x45 said: Actually lead cannot be absorbed thru your skin or thru your eye membrane. It has to be inhaled or ingested. Inhalation is the fastest way to absorb the most amount of lead directly into the bloodstream, whereas ingestion tends to take much longer to build up, because most of it is expelled. Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin. When lead is scattered in the air as a dust, fume or mist it can be inhaled and absorbed through you lungs and upper respiratory tract. https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10031 Thank you 9x45! With this information we are now able to identify and isolate the specifics with which we are able to integrate proper safety precautions while engaged in our reloading processes. ventilation - fans are in place respiratory filtration - I will look for something than just a paper mask wash well and often - I keep a gallon of that foaming D-Lead soap at the shop sink in the basement wash / wipe down everything that is touched - no biggie This really isn't so bad. I would have but didn't want to wear nitrile while reloading, I'm fine wearing nitrile any other time... Thanks for all your input folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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