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Lead poisoning while hand loading


zipollini

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its not the bullets you have to worry about. dry tumbling, all the lead dust gets in the media and into the air. dont care how much people say they dont get dust, its there. for some time i worked in the lead plant at an ammo manufacturer, and surprisingly my lead levels dropped while i was there. i attribute that to the fact i wasnt handloading. now that im back hand loading, ive gone to wet tumbling to reduce the lead dust. now an indoor range with poor ventilation can also be a contributor.

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In my highest volume casting, I cast around 15,000 bullets in 3 months. Smoking off and on, no secondary ventilation and without wearing gloves. My lead level after this quarter was 6 PPM. I usually cast at around 700 degrees and this is well below the atomizing point of lead. I this the overage person, taking general precautions should have no problems. A precaution that has a good benefit is no eating after and wash your hands with lukewarm water as hot water opens up your pores. 

 

If you use any any kind of acid solution like peracedic acid to clean barrels or suppressor the lead is converted into lead acetate and is basically water solvable and be absorbed through the skin. I would never ever put my hand in this without a glove. To this solution I add iodozed table salt and convert the lead back to a safer lead clorate before dropping it off at household hazard recycling - makes me feel a little better. 

 

The concern I would have is indoor range shooting - not from the exposed lead but the priming compound. During my military time I saw more than one indoor range with a line of shooters that looked like you were shooting in fog. 

Lee

Edited by RevolverJockey
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Mine became elevated and I don't reload.    It was from weekly (and sometimes 2x weekly) indoor shooting competitions.   I quit the indoor shooting and my levels dropped.  

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ANY bullet will most likely have lead dust on its surface.  So they very well might contaminate your hands.

 

Smelting, contrary to popular believe, is not dangerous, as the lead does not produce volume of vapor.

 

Lead, that is on your hands, will not be absorbed through the skin at any significant rate, but avoid any contact with mucous membrane.

 

Lead containing dust from dry tumbling is bad, as lead gets absorbed very fast through your lungs.  Touching food with your dirty hands is also very bad.

 

If you wet tumble, and wash your hands after you reload, don't pick your nose while doing it, you should be pretty safe.

 

Shooting at an indoor range is bad... make sure the exhaust fan is always ON.

 

 

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I was getting some tests ordered at my docs for some other reason and asked them to test me for lead so they just added it.   Since then we've done a few more solely for that.

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Just ask the doctor to prescribe, usually there is no problem at all.

 

By being just more careful and washing hands with Delead soap every time I handle ammo, I was able to drop it from 15 to 5.  Took a couple of years.

Edited by Foxbat
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23 hours ago, lefty o said:

while 22 is not low, its not super high.  if i recall when i was in a lead plant they didnt get excited until you were over 30.

Wile the US average is 1.2 most doctors want you under 5 and most sources I have looked at define actual "lead poisoning" as anything over 10. Most ranges will pull you off at 40 or 50.

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  • 2 months later...

I saw one repsponse about lead level checks. Did everyone just call their primary care physician and ask to be checked?

 

Did you have to get into why or did they just do it? 

 

If I call my downtown Washington DC doctor and ask for lead test they will probably freak! “Hello 911, this guy has a stockpile of bullets...probably hundreds or even thousands!”

Edited by Covfefe
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Covfefe - it should be as simple as asking your doc to order the test for you.   The next decision for you is the answer you give when asked why.  My doc is firearms friendly, so I had no issue with explaining the situation.   I have heard stories from others though of the med professionals getting a little judgmental / preachy.

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1 hour ago, LMS said:

Covfefe - it should be as simple as asking your doc to order the test for you.   The next decision for you is the answer you give when asked why.  My doc is firearms friendly, so I had no issue with explaining the situation.   I have heard stories from others though of the med professionals getting a little judgmental / preachy.

 

Thanks. Talking about guns in this area is akin to saying that you are a serial killer. 

 

If asked, maybe I’ll say that I’m renovating my home and stupidly sanded a bunch of lead paint. Need to verify that’s a plausible way of contamination. 

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Tell them you do electronics projects as a hobby, and you are wanting to make sure your soldering station ventilation is working.  BTW - the best solder has lead in it and is not lead free.  Or that you are casting fishing weights, or doing stained glass work. 

 

I have my BLL checked nearly every year and have loaded cast bullets for years.  Never had any alarming BLL.  Highest i had was when I shooting a lot at an indoor shooting range, and even that was below 15.  Now it runs about 6 and has for years.  I think that practicing good hygiene and not putting my-hands/fingers around my face have helped.

 

Good luck!

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I had to deal with this also. I cut out all indoor shooting - our local range claimed their air was pure but there was lots of dust falling from light fixtures and from overhead during firing. I cut out all casting - had not done a lot but enough apparently. Now I only load plated or poly coated - wet tumble outdoors and do not shoot indoors. My lead levels have dropped steadily but not below the desired level of 5, but I suspect long duration uptake requires long duration diligence.  I am firmly convinced that some folks uptake lead easier than others so your own metabolism affects this too.

 

If you are pressing a claim you need a lawyer and not try to negotiate on your own - I suspect they will cave.

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Casting lead is not an issue, nor is handling lead. Also dry tumbling presents a small amount of residual lead from the lead styphnate primer, but it's breathing in gun exhaust from cast lead, moly lead or non FMJ bullets that have the ass exposed. It goes directly into your lungs, then to your blood stream. Ingested lead mostly goes right thru you, and it cannot be absorbed thru the skin. I got up to 28 shooting moly lead bullets at matches 4-6 times a month, and ROing alot. When I switched to Bayous, it dropped to 6, about the same as guys shooting the same amount with FMJs. Doctors do not report lead levels, but some county and state agencies may notify you. They are more concerned that you work in a lead recycling and bring home the dust to the kids.  I dry tumble but load the walnut with mineral oil, and the corn with nufinish car polish so it is nearly dustless.  The only way I can reduce my lead now is to use non lead primers, which are hard to come by, and stop ROing for the squad. 

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