lead level

[tk4]

I have done alot of searching on this topic. I would like some educated opinions on how high is to high. I recently tested at 21. I don't shoot indoors, I shoot about 500rnds a week, and I have been using polymer coated bullets. At 21 should I be worried enough to stop shooting for a while until it comes down, or should I not be that concerned yet. My doctor thinks I should always be at 10. I read somewhere else that 10 to 19 is normal. At what level would you take a break from shooting?

[steel1212]

I have done alot of searching on this topic. I would like some educated opinions on how high is to high. I recently tested at 21. I don't shoot indoors, I shoot about 500rnds a week, and I have been using polymer coated bullets. At 21 should I be worried enough to stop shooting for a while until it comes down, or should I not be that concerned yet. My doctor thinks I should always be at 10. I read somewhere else that 10 to 19 is normal. At what level would you take a break from shooting?

Do you use latex gloves when you load your ammo? What about not using moly bullets for awhile?

[A33435]

What do you mean with 21? Is that 21 ug/dL?

I would be happy with that.

Greetsz

Adrie

[CJDOUBLETAP]

I have done alot of searching on this topic. I would like some educated opinions on how high is to high. I recently tested at 21. I don't shoot indoors, I shoot about 500rnds a week, and I have been using polymer coated bullets. At 21 should I be worried enough to stop shooting for a while until it comes down, or should I not be that concerned yet. My doctor thinks I should always be at 10. I read somewhere else that 10 to 19 is normal. At what level would you take a break from shooting?

Mmmm i'd like to know that too. Just got my blood tested yesterday for it.

[tk4]

What do you mean with 21? Is that 21 ug/dL?

I would be happy with that.

Greetsz

Adrie

I guess it's 21 ug/dl. I got my blood taken and they said my lead level was 21.

[tk4]

I have done alot of searching on this topic. I would like some educated opinions on how high is to high. I recently tested at 21. I don't shoot indoors, I shoot about 500rnds a week, and I have been using polymer coated bullets. At 21 should I be worried enough to stop shooting for a while until it comes down, or should I not be that concerned yet. My doctor thinks I should always be at 10. I read somewhere else that 10 to 19 is normal. At what level would you take a break from shooting?

Do you use latex gloves when you load your ammo? What about not using moly bullets for awhile?

I don't use latex gloves, but I wash my hands when I'm done loading. Maybe I should try that. I really don't want to spend the extra money for jacketed bullets, unless 21 is just too high.

[03k64]

I tested at 32 and the NYS Dept of Health called me. I was told that they are notified if you test over 25 as they want to make sure you are not in an unsafe work environment. I gave up shooting indoors but pretty much use moly bullets exclusively and recently tested at 5ul/dL.

[UW Mitch]

I think OSHA standard says below 20 ug/dL. I forget which agency it is that says normal for an adult is under 10ug/dL. I've taken the oral "heavy metal cleanse" supplements and got better shooting hygiene and went from 20 to 16. I depends if you care - are you planning on having kids? Or worse do you have kids that you're already exposing? If it's no and no, then it doesn't really matter - we all gotta die from something.

~Mitch

[Joe4d]

I honestly dont think shooting has anything to do with lead levels, I am 39 and shot for years almost exclusively indoor in ranges with cruddy ventilation. I would guess 75% lead cast, 20 % moly coated the other 5 jacketed or plated. I have reloaded 99% of the non rimfire civilian ammo I have fired, I wasnt real religious about washing, I dipped copenhagen while reloading etc. When I retired from the Army I had my lead level tested and they were 9. You would think if anyone had high shooting related lead levels it would be me. Some shooters have higher lead levels than others. Some bodies probably metabolize it better. But I think some other factor has to do with lead levels other than shooting. The problem is lead levels arnt tested unless there is a specific reason. Generally the only people who ask are shooters so I dont think there is a big enough non shooting, non paint eating, sample to establish if shooting has any effect whatsoever.

[tk4]

I think OSHA standard says below 20 ug/dL. I forget which agency it is that says normal for an adult is under 10ug/dL. I've taken the oral "heavy metal cleanse" supplements and got better shooting hygiene and went from 20 to 16. I depends if you care - are you planning on having kids? Or worse do you have kids that you're already exposing? If it's no and no, then it doesn't really matter - we all gotta die from something.

~Mitch

I have a 3 yr old and another that is almost 1. I had the 3 yr old tested last year when I was at about the same lead level, and he was only at 4 ug/dl. I think I am doing a good job keeping it away from them. I am wondering at what point is it getting bad for my own health.

[tk4]

I honestly dont think shooting has anything to do with lead levels, I am 39 and shot for years almost exclusively indoor in ranges with cruddy ventilation. I would guess 75% lead cast, 20 % moly coated the other 5 jacketed or plated. I have reloaded 99% of the non rimfire civilian ammo I have fired, I wasnt real religious about washing, I dipped copenhagen while reloading etc. When I retired from the Army I had my lead level tested and they were 9. You would think if anyone had high shooting related lead levels it would be me. Some shooters have higher lead levels than others. Some bodies probably metabolize it better. But I think some other factor has to do with lead levels other than shooting. The problem is lead levels arnt tested unless there is a specific reason. Generally the only people who ask are shooters so I dont think there is a big enough non shooting, non paint eating, sample to establish if shooting has any effect whatsoever.

Joe4d,

I'll give you a little of my own history, and why I believe shooting definetly has an effect. In the past 3 yrs I have been tested at least 6 or 7 times. I shoot about 20,000 rnds a year. When I first got tested I was at 42 ug/dl. I was shooting lead in a partially enclosed metal cage. I switched to moly bullets, started shooting outside, and got on some of the lead chelate pills. I dropped down to about 17. I continued shooting moly into the 2nd year and in mid season was back up to 21. I broke my hand last Oct and didn't shoot for about 8 weeks. I got retested in Dec and was down to 12. I just got retested again and I'm back to 21. I believe that everyone is probably different, but at least for me shooting or loading seems to make a difference. So, should I not worry if I run up to the mid 20s and bring it back down in the off season, or will several years of this probably have negative health effects.

[FranDoc]

There have been multiple threads over the past several months re: lead level, testing, at what point is it 'dangerous', etc. There have been many "I've done "X"... and I'm just fine" responses.

I''m posting the following as a physician epidemiologist. It's tech data. These are regulations for occupational lead exposure. There are no regulations for exposure in recreational shooters. You can assume that the same occupational health data applies, however.

0-9 mcg/dl (micrograms per 10 cc whole blood) - 'normal' - OSHA requires routine testing every 6 months

9.1-39.9 mcg/dl - elevated, but below the level required for any action per OSHA; retest in 6 months

40 - 49.9 mcg/dl - repeat test in 2 weeks, medical exam, other lab work. Test every 2 months until 2 consecutive levels are <40.

>50 mcg/cl - removal from lead exposure until 2 consecutive levels are below 40

>60 mcg/dl - removal from lead exposure until 2 consecutive leves are below 40; medical exam, additional lab studies required.

Search "blood lead levels" or 'blood lead monitoring" or "lead exposure monitoring" at:

www.osha.gov - US Dept of Labor, Occupational Health and Safety Administration

www.cdc.gov - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.cdc.goov/niosh - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.sh...&p_id=10642 - the most 'user friendly' and readable standard

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ABLES/ables-description.html - also readable in basic language

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.sh...&p_id=10644 - regulation

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.sh...&p_id=10643 - regulation

Note that there is required reporting of blood lead levels - as 03K64 found out. If you test high, you may be contacted (usually by the Health Department) to determine how you are exposed (occupational, recreational, environmental, inadvertent/other source) and what you're doing about it. There is no enforcement of follow-up testing or exposure limitation if the exposure is not occupational. You are advised to limit your exposure and pursue follow-up testing, but it is not mandated.

Yes, it's "worth it".

If, after checking OSHA/CDC/NIOSH there are other questions, post them here. I'll try to get a comprehensible and correct answer.

[kevin c]

I'll chime in as a pediatrician.

A growing child is at greater risk of exposure because he is literally crawling around and may chew on something that might have lead, either on it by external contamination or inside it . A child's handwashing/oral hygiene is also lousy.

Growing children also have adverse effects from lead at much lower levels of exposure and body burden (amount of lead present in the body) than an adult because of their higher and different metabolism.

Bottom line in kids - we worry about any level above baseline (that being the lowest level detectable, about 3 micrograms per deciliter) and may intervene at levels as low as 5 mcg/dl.

So keep your kids out of your reloading area, don't let them handle ammo or brass w/o a mandatory washup before eating or drinking anything, and consider not letting them shoot indoors unless ventilation is top notch, and they don't have access to the downrange impact area.

[konkapot]

I run into a high BLL from time to time.

I've found that the standard estimate of "half life of lead in blood is 28-32 days" to be accurate.

In other words, if you stop your exposure for a month, you'll go from 21 to about 11 or so. The next month (assuming no exposure) you'd be about a 6 and so on.

My recent spike came from a switch to cast bullets for about 5-6 months. I shoot 1k per week.

I respectfully disagree that shooting doesn't have anything to do with lead levels. As grownups we don't eat paint, we don't drink from a water supply built by the romans, most flatware in our kitchens doesn't have lead in it anymore, etc.

I would say that the AMOUNT of shooting you do and WHERE you do it are the biggest factors.

5 years ago or so I was at a 34; I switched from an indoor range to a outdoor range and.....lead levels went back down.

FranDoc is obviously the best qualified to answer "long term" questions re: lead, but from what I've read, even if your blood lead level is low, lead has migrated into your bones. Some day in the distant future (decades), that lead that's in your bones will start to leach out, and can put you back up into a high Bll.

FY42385

[ima45dv8]

I was tested at 42 once. The shooters at our indoor weekly league match agreed to reserve the lead rounds for outdoor matches to reduce our collective high levels. More than that I adopted a higher level of awareness to how it was getting into my system.

The research I did indicated that ingested rather than inhaled particals cause the most damage. I realized I had been running shooters (and running through their clouds of lead-laden smoke) and then going out for a smoke without washing my hands first. I was transferring the lead from my fingers to my lips without even knowing it.

I'm down below 20, but will have another test in ~ 3 months for a current reading.

[CSEMARTIN]

FranDoc, thanks for posting.