keithherrington
Well-known member
In January of this year I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), the most common (and mildest) type of leukemia. For those of you not familiar with the illness it develops from a type of white blood cell called B cells. It progresses slowly, usually affecting older adults, but may not cause any symptoms for years. When symptoms do occur, they may include swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and easy bruising. Treatment isn't always initially necessary, but may include chemotherapy. Stem-cell transplant is used in rare scenarios for aggressive cases.
To put this into perspective, my CLL is in Stage 0, which means I’m not having any symptoms except aperiodic mild fatigue. Normal Lymphocytic levels in the blood for a healthy adult is between 5.5 and 6.0 (also measured 5500-6000/mm3). My count is about 19. Counts as high as 200 can be sustained if no symptoms are present, but this is rare.
However interesting as this may be, what is of much more concern to me is where it come from, why we didn’t know about this before now, and why it developed now?
There is no clear evidence of causality when discussing CLL. However, there may be a link between contracting CLL and exposure to certain common solvents such as Benzene and other petrochemicals, many of which are now known carcinogens. Put in context Benzene was historically used as a significant component in many consumer products such as Liquid Wrench, several paint strippers, rubber cements, spot removers and other hydrocarbon-containing products. Interestingly, Benzene was a major component in the original formulation of Hoppes #9. By now you are probably on board with where I’m going with this. Until very recently I never used rubber gloves when cleaning my guns. Over the years, starting in 1972 on while in the Army, I routinely saturated my hands in these cleaning solvents without any concern whatsoever.
While drawing a straight line to its cause is highly problematical, answering the second question is far easier: CLL is almost exclusively discovered during pre-operation blood screenings associated with other clinical procedures. In my case, I had a blood test in preparation for a very minor operation on my shooting hand, to remove a small amount of scar tissue that had built up over the years, caused by shooting heavy recoiling handguns. If not for that, I would not have discovered the problem until the symptoms had developed to a far greater degree.
As for why has it decided to develop now, who’s to say? My hematologist has no answer and she’s one of the best in the business. It just has and I’ve decided to move on from there.
Associated with the CLL is another issue – one that should be of concern to you all as well – lead. Normal lead levels in adults is below 10 (<10000/mm3). Over the years I’ve monitored the lead levels in my blood and in December 2013 it was 16, above normal but not of immediate concern. However, in January 2016 it was 19, about 20% higher. Your first reaction to this might logically be “well, your protocol for removing lead from your clothes, hands and face after shooting really sucks.” However, since 2006 when I started shooting indoors and shooting Bullseye much more frequently, I have been very careful indeed to make sure I cleaned up afterwards, limiting how much lead I ingested.
So, why the increase? While I have no proof, I think there might be a link to how and how often I cleaned my weapons over the years, especially since December 2013. Since I was not using gloves, the cleaning solutions (now saturated with lead and other toxic byproducts of shooting) were covering my hands. I can’t help but believe that over the years these toxins and heavy metals leached through my skin into my blood stream. Fortunately, unlike for CLL there are ways to treat for lead in your blood and it is not all that difficult to get those levels down to normal.
My protocol for cleaning up immediately after shooting has not changed. I’m still careful to wash my hands and face with soap and cold water, and routinely clean the clothes I use when shooting. However, my protocol when cleaning my weapons is far more rigorous. I clean them in my garage with the garage door open. I always wear disposable rubber gloves, not the medical ones that are thin and easily torn, but the ones designed for auto repair. And I store my used patches and rags in a sealed garbage can until they are taken out with the trash.
Needless to say, I strongly recommend you all consider adopting (if you have not done so already) similarly stringent protocols to reduce needless exposure to these risks, but just as important I recommend having your blood tested: not only for signs of CLL, but also to monitor the lead levels in your blood.
Keith Herrington
To put this into perspective, my CLL is in Stage 0, which means I’m not having any symptoms except aperiodic mild fatigue. Normal Lymphocytic levels in the blood for a healthy adult is between 5.5 and 6.0 (also measured 5500-6000/mm3). My count is about 19. Counts as high as 200 can be sustained if no symptoms are present, but this is rare.
However interesting as this may be, what is of much more concern to me is where it come from, why we didn’t know about this before now, and why it developed now?
There is no clear evidence of causality when discussing CLL. However, there may be a link between contracting CLL and exposure to certain common solvents such as Benzene and other petrochemicals, many of which are now known carcinogens. Put in context Benzene was historically used as a significant component in many consumer products such as Liquid Wrench, several paint strippers, rubber cements, spot removers and other hydrocarbon-containing products. Interestingly, Benzene was a major component in the original formulation of Hoppes #9. By now you are probably on board with where I’m going with this. Until very recently I never used rubber gloves when cleaning my guns. Over the years, starting in 1972 on while in the Army, I routinely saturated my hands in these cleaning solvents without any concern whatsoever.
While drawing a straight line to its cause is highly problematical, answering the second question is far easier: CLL is almost exclusively discovered during pre-operation blood screenings associated with other clinical procedures. In my case, I had a blood test in preparation for a very minor operation on my shooting hand, to remove a small amount of scar tissue that had built up over the years, caused by shooting heavy recoiling handguns. If not for that, I would not have discovered the problem until the symptoms had developed to a far greater degree.
As for why has it decided to develop now, who’s to say? My hematologist has no answer and she’s one of the best in the business. It just has and I’ve decided to move on from there.
Associated with the CLL is another issue – one that should be of concern to you all as well – lead. Normal lead levels in adults is below 10 (<10000/mm3). Over the years I’ve monitored the lead levels in my blood and in December 2013 it was 16, above normal but not of immediate concern. However, in January 2016 it was 19, about 20% higher. Your first reaction to this might logically be “well, your protocol for removing lead from your clothes, hands and face after shooting really sucks.” However, since 2006 when I started shooting indoors and shooting Bullseye much more frequently, I have been very careful indeed to make sure I cleaned up afterwards, limiting how much lead I ingested.
So, why the increase? While I have no proof, I think there might be a link to how and how often I cleaned my weapons over the years, especially since December 2013. Since I was not using gloves, the cleaning solutions (now saturated with lead and other toxic byproducts of shooting) were covering my hands. I can’t help but believe that over the years these toxins and heavy metals leached through my skin into my blood stream. Fortunately, unlike for CLL there are ways to treat for lead in your blood and it is not all that difficult to get those levels down to normal.
My protocol for cleaning up immediately after shooting has not changed. I’m still careful to wash my hands and face with soap and cold water, and routinely clean the clothes I use when shooting. However, my protocol when cleaning my weapons is far more rigorous. I clean them in my garage with the garage door open. I always wear disposable rubber gloves, not the medical ones that are thin and easily torn, but the ones designed for auto repair. And I store my used patches and rags in a sealed garbage can until they are taken out with the trash.
Needless to say, I strongly recommend you all consider adopting (if you have not done so already) similarly stringent protocols to reduce needless exposure to these risks, but just as important I recommend having your blood tested: not only for signs of CLL, but also to monitor the lead levels in your blood.
Keith Herrington
