Blood lead level

[motosapiens]

i wonder how much one is effected by standing near the shooters (i.e. RO-ing) and potentially breathing the smoke. I tested for lead a few times several years ago when I first got into reloading, and was handling a ton of bullets and brass and so forth, and was never elevated. Then after a few years of no tests, i got tested again a week or so after CO nationals and had significantly elevated lead level. I worked a small fixed time stage there, so I was pretty much in the shooter's personal space for every shot fired. I've been careful this year and plan to get tested in the fall, but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to stand further from shooters when i work matches.

Edited May 9, 2023 by motosapiens

[Boomstick303]

1 minute ago, motosapiens said:

I'm going to stand further from shooters when i work matches.

 

Did you possibly start shooting more indoor matches?  I think Indoor matches are probably the biggest culprit of higher lead levels than anything else.  

 

 

[motosapiens]

Just now, Boomstick303 said:

 

Did you possibly start shooting more indoor matches?  I think Indoor matches are probably the biggest culprit of higher lead levels than anything else.  

 

 

i never ever ever shoot indoors, but I was close enough to several hundred shooters at nats to constantly smell the smoke. Normally there is more separation between RO and shooter, but this stage only required 1 or 2 steps, and I was staying extra close to make sure the shooters could hear the par time beep.

[ColoradoNick]

I have a test scheduled for Thursday. Thanks message forum 

[truespode]

Mine came back at 10.1 recently. The test flagged it as high for being over 3.4 but also has information saying WHO recommendation is less than 20 and Occupational exposure OSHA recommends lower than 40 and Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) under 30.

Unless you are bouncing over 20 you shouldn't have symptoms caused by lead exposure.

 

I shoot one to two indoor and 2-3 outdoor matches a month and load so I know where my exposure comes from but am not worried with a level at 10. 

 

Still worth monitoring and staying vigilent.

[Joe4d]

On 3/19/2022 at 10:38 AM, CHA-LEE said:

 

I always wonder what others are doing so differently to cause their lead levels to go crazy. But I suspect a lot of it has to do with their poor quality ammo that is pumping a crap ton of vaporized lead in the air right in front of their face while they shoot.

smoke cigarettes.
 

[StefVanHauwe]

In Belgium we have very few outdoor ranges, the vast majority are indoor ranges (often with poor ventilation). Therefor I have my lead levels checked every 6 months. In September 2022 my doctor freaked out because I had 54. Before it was always betwen 11 and 25 (till then nothing to worry about), but 54 does pose issues on the long run. Reason for the increase: I switched IPSC clubs in April 2022, and obviously, the range itself is smaller, the ventilation less good and there is a steel back berm down range, which implies that the vast majority of rounds fired disintigrate into dust ... I started researching, take precautions (last check in february was 38 (so decreasing - measures work) and also made a video on it. Fyi: 

 

 

[Cuz]

Where is the lead in or body?

is it in your blood? Or elsewhere?

[CC3D]

6 hours ago, Cuz said:

Where is the lead in or body?

is it in your blood? Or elsewhere?

Oversimplification but it binds to red blood cells and then can be distributed to other soft tissues in the body.

 

Children are at much higher risk for neurological damage and developmental delays from lead poisoning, in adults it often presents as muscle/joint type pain. It also interferes with heme synthesis in red blood cells and can anemia

[StefVanHauwe]

12 hours ago, CC3D said:

Oversimplification but it binds to red blood cells and then can be distributed to other soft tissues in the body.

 

Children are at much higher risk for neurological damage and developmental delays from lead poisoning, in adults it often presents as muscle/joint type pain. It also interferes with heme synthesis in red blood cells and can anemia

Correct, first in the blood, then the soft tissues (ex: organs) and finally in the bone structure. This is very individual and based on bodily circumstances. Some have symptoms early on, others only much later. The half life to remove the lead significantly increases as it settles into the soft tissues and especially the bones.

[Cuz]

So, if you were to donate a pint of blood, could you be removing up to 10% of the lead in your body?  This could be done a few times a year, right???

[Squirrel45]

There are certain vitamins and veggies you can eat to reduce your lead level. A friend of mine spiked high on his lead test he changed diet and it went down. Also not shooting in door helped. My oldest daughter (4) now was testing hot for lead when she was 6 or 9 months. I changed my brass cleaning process and use a lot of d lead soap and wipes when leaving range and after handling anything. I don't need lead issues iv got enough other things going wrong. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Squirrel45
Can't spell

[yekcoh]

On 5/9/2023 at 9:31 AM, BritinUSA said:

From 11 to 3.8 is impressive. 
 

it might be worth having your house water levels checked as well. Just to ensure there is no contamination coming into your home.

haha thank you. Located in Vegas and I don't drink tap water so maybe that's not necessary?

 

On 5/11/2023 at 3:22 AM, StefVanHauwe said:

Correct, first in the blood, then the soft tissues (ex: organs) and finally in the bone structure. This is very individual and based on bodily circumstances. Some have symptoms early on, others only much later. The half life to remove the lead significantly increases as it settles into the soft tissues and especially the bones.

yep. I'm sure there a lot of lead in my bone.........................

 

yes, that's one way... If you go back the thread, you will find a lot of ways to reduce lead level

On 5/11/2023 at 4:30 AM, Cuz said:

So, if you were to donate a pint of blood, could you be removing up to 10% of the lead in your body?  This could be done a few times a year, right???

Edited May 12, 2023 by yekcoh

[ColoradoNick]

My results came back today- 2.9

 

I pick up brass bare handed, often forget to wash my hands too. I shoot indoors at least once a week for an hour in addition to 2-3 indoor matches a month. I also shoot 2-3 outdoor matches monthly. I guess the ventilation is good. I started wearing gloves and bought some D-lead wipes for my car. I was more worried about transferring some of it to my kid. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by ColoradoNick

[matteekay]

I lick the floor clean after our indoor matches. Am I not supposed to do that?

[Farmer]

I thought at one time about getting checked. Talked to a nurse about it and she said,“you don’t want to do that” Whaaaa????  Never thought about the effects of washing auto parts in solvent bare handed, wire wheel cleaning valves with no mask, and a flurry of other crap that I probably should have been more careful with. Hauling lead bullets around in my pockets and of course didn’t everyone play with mercury in their hand when they were a kid?

[Ssanders224]

8 hours ago, Farmer said:

I thought at one time about getting checked. Talked to a nurse about it and she said,“you don’t want to do that” Whaaaa????  

 

A medical professional insinuated that "ignorance is bliss"? 

I think I'd be finding a new healthcare provider. 

[jrdoran]

I use https://www.personalabs.com and get mine checked every 6 months.   You don't need to make a Dr. appointment.  You make the order online and then you goto normal local lab like quest or otherwise.    Has worked great for 3 years.  

 

You get the report via email and it is the same report your doctor would normally get.   

 

Be intentional and take control yourself;  

[THS]

I've was on lead monitoring for about 15 years (ending about 4 years ago.)   The numbers you are posting are about the current level, which amounts to a snapshot in time.

 

The more telling number is Zinc Protoporphryn (sp?) which is a better long term indicator.  As lead is metabolized in the body the ZP is left and ends up in the bones.   It takes quite a while to build or dissipate, so you can track exposure over time much more easily.

 

ZP is a better indicator, as a spike could be transitory.

 

 

[LMS]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:40 AM, Farmer said:

Talked to a nurse about it and she said,“you don’t want to do that” Whaaaa???? 

 

When one of my tests came back a little high (still under 20), I got multiple calls (all ignored) from my county health department wanting to "talk to me".    Perhaps that's what she's referring to?

[Farmer]

27 minutes ago, LMS said:

 

When one of my tests came back a little high (still under 20), I got multiple calls (all ignored) from my county health department wanting to "talk to me".    Perhaps that's what she's referring to?

I believe you are correct. And now that I think about it her husband was the mayor of our town at the time. She definitely was thinking of their welfare not mine by not throwing up a red flag. We go in twice a year for a full panel and for a while if anything was slightly off they were on the phone wanting to shove another pill down your throat.  I know our lab tech so I’m going to talk to him about it, he’s pretty cool. The order in ones are fine but the lab is 80 miles away. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Farmer
Added

[Sniperboy]

That's probably the most reasonable assumption and now that you mention it, makes the most sense. 

In these neck of the woods the hospital will NOT give you a lead level test until you put the name and address of your employer in the form.  It is a requirement.

 

I and all my friends who tested "high" and all did because the standard levels are arbitrarily low, all got a call/letter from either an NGO or OSHA or County Health (I forgot which one now).  If you want to be cynical, they probably wanted a fat lawsuit or consent decree with your employer.

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Sniperboy

[Farmer]

4 hours ago, Sniperboy said:

That's probably the most reasonable assumption and now that you mention it, makes the most sense. 

In these neck of the woods the hospital will NOT give you a lead level test until you put the name and address of your employer in the form.  It is a requirement.

 

I and all my friends who tested "high" and all did because the standard levels are arbitrarily low, all got a call/letter from either an NGO or OSHA or County Health (I forgot which one now).  If you want to be cynical, they probably wanted a fat lawsuit or consent decree with your employer.

 

 I’ll find out more next week as I have to go in about my labs. Triglycerides are high and they always want to put me on something that screws up everything else. 

[124gr9mm]

Glad I found this thread.

 

I was getting bloodwork for a physical recently and on a whim I asked my doctor to add in a test for lead and it came back at 9.1.

 

The nurse who called me with the results said everything else was perfect but she wanted me to go to a Hematologist to talk about next steps for the high lead results.  She said 'normal' was below 3.5 so I should make an appointment as soon as possible.

 

I'm one of those who isn't the most diligent about washing with d-lead soap after touching brass, and the indoor range where I've been doing action shooting doesn't have the best ventilation, so I think I'll start with addressing those first before seeing a specialist.

 

The internet says "For reducing blood lead levels, vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamine (B1), folate (B9) and iron have the strongest and most consistent blood lead links" so I may start taking those for a few months to see how things go.

 

 

[124gr9mm]

And I just ordered D-lead body wash/shampoo, wipes, and hand soap.

 

I think the biggest contributor is the indoor action matches 2x/month.  Between setup, shooting, and cleanup I'm there at least 5 hours, so if the ventilation is less than optimal I think I'm getting greater exposure.

 

I then have a 50 minute ride home where I immediately shower, but not with d-lead.

 

I switched from coated bullets to plated about 2 years ago because I didn't like the smoke.

 

As soon as the wipes come in I'm going to wipe down all of my pistols.  I presume that my regular cleaning routing with Hoppe's would be sufficient, but I'll add a wipedown with the wipes after every time I shoot.

Edited September 11, 2023 by 124gr9mm