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Have you tested your blood lead level?


Foxbat

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Other than good hygienic washing of hands, ect, what could be hazardous about Lead. I don't ingest Lead, don't dry tumble my Brass, and don't get the temp of my casting Lead over 6-700 degrees Fahrenheit . Lead only vaporizes when it reaches around 1700 Fahrenheit.

A lead product called lead styphnate is produced when you shoot, and if you breathe the smoke, you inhale it. It is used in most primers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_styphnate

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Other than good hygienic washing of hands, ect, what could be hazardous about Lead. I don't ingest Lead, don't dry tumble my Brass, and don't get the temp of my casting Lead over 6-700 degrees Fahrenheit . Lead only vaporizes when it reaches around 1700 Fahrenheit.

A lead product called lead styphnate is produced when you shoot, and if you breathe the smoke, you inhale it. It is used in most primers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_styphnate

You're absolutely correct Foxbat, and that's why I shoot ALL my rounds OUTSIDE.

BTW, I have been casting my own bullets from WW's and roof flashing for a number of years now; Lead levels haven't been a problem yet, YYMV.

Edited by glynnm45
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Other than good hygienic washing of hands, ect, what could be hazardous about Lead. I don't ingest Lead, don't dry tumble my Brass, and don't get the temp of my casting Lead over 6-700 degrees Fahrenheit . Lead only vaporizes when it reaches around 1700 Fahrenheit.

A lead product called lead styphnate is produced when you shoot, and if you breathe the smoke, you inhale it. It is used in most primers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_styphnate

You're absolutely correct Foxbat, and that's why I shoot ALL my rounds OUTSIDE.

BTW, I have been casting my own bullets from WW's and roof flashing for a number of years now; Lead levels haven't been a problem yet, YYMV.

That is because, contrary to the common logic, lead does not form vapor at smelting temperatures. You just need to keep your hands clean.

Unfortunately, all my practice is indoors, and even though there is a good fan system there, you still breathe the smoke. Great for you, if you can shoot outdoors!

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I mostly shoot out of the back of my shop at a 12" plate 100 yds away. I also have the "range" marked off at 50 and 25 yds for handgun shooting.

BTW, you ever get to my neck of the woods you're welcome to come shoot with me.

Edited by glynnm45
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lead styphnate is the explosive compound that is in the primer cup. When the firing pin hits the primer, it mashes the anvil into the compound, and bang. Lead particles are expelled when this happens, but most of the lead shooters get comes from breathing it in during firing of lead bullets. The only way to have no lead is to shoot fully metal jacketed and run non-toxic primers. Even then, if you RO you will breathe in everyone else's lead exhaust. Yes, casting lead is not an issue because it melts at 625 F, too low to vaporize.

The more dangerous thing about primers is the sensitivity to static discharge.

Lead styphnate is particularly sensitive to fire and the discharge of static electricity. When dry, it can readily detonate by static discharges from the human body

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I mostly shoot out of the back of my shop at a 12" plate 100 yds away. I also have the "range" marked off at 50 and 25 yds for handgun shooting.

BTW, you ever get to my neck of the woods you're welcome to come shoot with me.

Thank you for the invitation... who, knows, maybe someday! :)

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Hi, just wanted to add my experience. About 6 months ago I had my lead level tested and it was 10.4, with < 5 being normal. At that time I was shooting indoors at an older range and not really doing anything special after I finished shooting. Over the last 6 months, I moved to a newer indoor range (presumably with more up to date ventilation equipment) and started scrubbing my hands well with D-Lead soap after each shooting session. I didn't change the amount of time I was shooting. With those 2 adjustments, my levels has dropped to 5.1

So, if you get tested and your levels are high, these are some simple fixes you can try.

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When I was a kid, I lived in a house with asbestos siding shingles. Both parents smoked, and 9 out of 10 doctors prefered Camels. My dad brought home some mercury for me to coat pennies with and solder was lead based. I also helped dad reload. The car didn't have seatbelts, air bags, crumple zones or antilock brakes. We rode bikes without helmets and played baseball/football in the street. Over the counter cough medicine contained codine. Polio vaccines were new and there were none for measels, mumps, whooping cough or scarlet fever, all of which I had. Wonder Bread, a leading brand, was found to contain sawdust. The local department store had a shoe fitting fluorscope, during which a single view subjected us to many times the safe dose limit of radiation - and we would jump on and off them with each new pair of shoes tried, or just for fun when we weren't even buying shoes. In the winter, we'd tag cars - grab the rear bumper and go 'skiing' in our boots or on sleds. Life jackets in boats were for people who didn't know how to swim.

It's a miracle I'm still alive. :roflol:

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Thanks for the deja vu trip. I'll be 70 in a month and I still remember helping Dad remove and replace asbestos siding on our old home. The only thing I experienced differently, we didn't have any streets where we lived, only dirt or gravel roads. Love your narrative Tom.

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Tom S. you might be surprised at what your results you get from a heavy metal blood panel workup. Just because your'e still alive doesn't mean you haven't been exposed or have undetected symptoms. People thought smoking and sun tanning was great also, now we know that it is extremely dangerous. And exposure to asbestos and nicotine has become the biggest single medical event liability lawsuit suit ever. I just had a squamous tumor removed from my cheek that was 38mm x 42mm x 6mm deep, down to the bone.

My panel came back at 3 for arsenic (acceptable at less than 23), mercury at 6 (acceptable less than 10) and lead at 8. There is no acceptable level for lead, it is toxic, however, both OSHA and local agencies have created "normal" levels for occupational categories.

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Thanks for the deja vu trip. I'll be 70 in a month and I still remember helping Dad remove and replace asbestos siding on our old home. The only thing I experienced differently, we didn't have any streets where we lived, only dirt or gravel roads. Love your narrative Tom.

I just figure it's gonna make it harder for them to cremate me when the time comes.

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  • 1 month later...

Back in April of 2015 I had my Lead tested for the first time. I was shooting IDPA indoors once a month, and shooting outdoors every weekend for over a year. I wasn't using any kind of de-lead soap or wipes. I was reloading using plated bullets, not using gloves. My results came in at 14.

After that, I bought some D-Lead soap and wipes and started using them after matches and reloading. I also stopped shooting indoors, but kept shooting outdoors every weekend.

Got my results back today. I'm now at 4 mcg/dL. :cheers:

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When I was a kid, I lived in a house with asbestos siding shingles. Both parents smoked, and 9 out of 10 doctors prefered Camels. My dad brought home some mercury for me to coat pennies with and solder was lead based. I also helped dad reload. The car didn't have seatbelts, air bags, crumple zones or antilock brakes. We rode bikes without helmets and played baseball/football in the street. Over the counter cough medicine contained codine. Polio vaccines were new and there were none for measels, mumps, whooping cough or scarlet fever, all of which I had. Wonder Bread, a leading brand, was found to contain sawdust. The local department store had a shoe fitting fluorscope, during which a single view subjected us to many times the safe dose limit of radiation - and we would jump on and off them with each new pair of shoes tried, or just for fun when we weren't even buying shoes. In the winter, we'd tag cars - grab the rear bumper and go 'skiing' in our boots or on sleds. Life jackets in boats were for people who didn't know how to swim.

It's a miracle I'm still alive. :roflol:

10/10.

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Tom S. you might be surprised at what your results you get from a heavy metal blood panel workup. Just because your'e still alive doesn't mean you haven't been exposed or have undetected symptoms. People thought smoking and sun tanning was great also, now we know that it is extremely dangerous. And exposure to asbestos and nicotine has become the biggest single medical event liability lawsuit suit ever. I just had a squamous tumor removed from my cheek that was 38mm x 42mm x 6mm deep, down to the bone.

My panel came back at 3 for arsenic (acceptable at less than 23), mercury at 6 (acceptable less than 10) and lead at 8. There is no acceptable level for lead, it is toxic, however, both OSHA and local agencies have created "normal" levels for occupational categories.

That Lead in your blood is only going to cause mental retardation, I'm afraid I'm to late for it to matter. Now where's my pants!!

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