Blood lead levels

rebcussion said:
First a thank you to all who contributed. Good information. I started shooting little over year ago almost exclusively indoors.
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High blood lead and shooting indoors is no joke. It was this very thread that got my attention a while ago re. this..

I started shooting indoors a year ago, once a week for 1-2 hours per session. My indoor range has all the requisite positive airflow, filtering, etc. I also have always been very careful; washing hands, not touching face, nose etc., wearing a hat, keeping range clothes separate and straight into the laundry, no eating/drinking etc.

Last May I asked my doc to do a lead level test, she was of the sort of mindset 'why would you ask for that' and I explained the sitch and said 'just humor me', so I had it done. Came back at 23.1, which to me is unacceptable. I stopped shooting there immediately, and just had a second blood draw last Thu, of which I'm awaiting the results, fingers crossed. I also joined a private club with outdoor ranges, no more indoors for me, I don't care how hot or cold it gets..

Now, I also began bugging the RO at my former indoor range, who's a friend, to go get his blood lead level tested. He just called me last night with his results, a 49.

I don't think that if you shoot outdoors and otherwise handle lead and your hygiene around it well this is an issue, but I'm now convinced that shooting indoors, even with all the precautions and state-of-art air handling, is a pretty bad idea. I also think that rimfire semi-auto blowback is about the worst as far as putting the stuff into your face regardless of the environment.

If you read up on the effects/damage of high blood lead level, it is not good. Some of it is irreversable. We face enough health challenges already, this is one you can largely avoid IMHO.

So, take care of yourselves, and always shoot safe all around..

Dave
 
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trulyapostolic said:
First, get some Escatech Dlead hand soap.
Second, I now wear 3M N100 respirators while shooting at our very poorly ventilated indoor range.

My level was 46 this fall, first time I've been tested in 3 years also. I'm going to get retested in April or May.
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Thought I would followup... Retested in May and the levels were down to 31 from 46. I continued to shoot my normal indoor practice and match schedule all winter. The only thing I changed was wearing the 3M N100 respirators, which were made for people performing lead abatement.
 
My blood lead level was tested in April and measured 25.1 µg/dL. That was enough to trigger a notice the the Health Department. My doctor was visibly upset over it but he told be that it was not high enough to be immediately dangerous. I will be retested in September or October.
 
I carried lead air gun pellets in my mouth for years for fastest reload when I was a kid. Now that I am grown well at least old 56 I am more carful my job is very poisonious I work with fiberglass and spray paint on big boats for the last 30 years. I imagine lead is the least of my problems. I am still very healthy knock on wood.
Bob
 
I wanted to update this..

daveomatic said:
Last May I asked my doc to do a lead level test, she was of the sort of mindset 'why would you ask for that' and I explained the sitch and said 'just humor me', so I had it done. Came back at 23.1, which to me is unacceptable. I stopped shooting there immediately, and just had a second blood draw last Thu, of which I'm awaiting the results, fingers crossed. I also joined a private club with outdoor ranges, no more indoors for me, I don't care how hot or cold it gets..
Dave
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I just got my latest results back, I'm down to 14.7, and that's in just 57 days from the May test. The thing is, I've been spending more total hours shooting, firing more rounds, and handling more ammo in the last 2 months than I was in the 4 preceding months to the May test, all other factors remaining the same. The difference is that it's been all outside shooting over the last 2 months.

Next test is in October, I'm hoping for the same or better reduction. I'm convinced now that in my situation at least, it's from indoor shooting.

Dave
 
My first test came back at 35. I also got a strange look from the doc when I asked that my lead level be checked. The reason I did was that OSHA had visited my indoor range and made one of the guys that works there stay off the indoor range because his lead level was 31. Really don't understand how mine was 35 and I spent about 2-3 hours there about once a week and he works there every day of his life and his was only 31. Anyway, mine is down to 28 and I made a deal with the doc to not shoot indoors for a month. I will have it checked at the end of August to see what that's done. Looks like it's going to be outdoor shooting for me also. Who would have ever thunk it?
 
dwpmusic said:
Really don't understand how mine was 35 and I spent about 2-3 hours there about once a week and he works there every day of his life and his was only 31.
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One guy who shoots the same range/schedule as I did indoors, and for about 2 years longer got his done at the same time as me, and he was 8 (to my 23.1).

Luck, good & bad!

...and I leave a trail of vitamin C fumes behind me, have for years too. It's a good idea to do though, for several other reasons as well..

Dave
 
I work at a place that tests my blood on an annual basis and they always check for lead because I'm in a lead worker category. I never had a high level reported in over 30 years. Then last year I received a call from the company Dr. requesting an interview because my blood level was at 81 and had never been higher than 12. Previously, for the entire time I've worked there, I have shot at indoor and outdoor ranges on a regular basis. I also do a lot of hand loading and cast my own bullets. I've always been careful while casting bullets to make sure I wasn't inhaling fumes and I have been somewhat of a fanatic about washing my hands after a stint at the range. I also wear a good disposable mask when dumping the contents of my polishers because I don't like inhaling the dust that comes off of them.
After thinking about what could have changed we came up with an answer. Last year I started buying brass from an indoor range where apparently they just sweep up the whole range and dump it into a bucket, which they sell for reloading. Until my test last year, I didn't wear a protective mask or protective gloves (PPE) while sorting thru that brass and apparently inhaled and absorbed enough lead through my hands to get a high level reading, and yes, I washed my hands thoroughly after sorting and didn't consume or drink anything while sorting.
The real culprit in my case was the lead styphnate from the primers that was in the black sooty dust that was all over that range brass. After figuring out what might have caused it, I continue to shoot, reload, and cast bullets on a regular basis, but I quit buying the indoor range brass. Work tested my levels on a weekly basis and when they got below 25, on a two week basis. Within two months I was back to my usual 12. I now wear PPE while sorting any brass.
As an aside to my bout with lead, I did a lot of reading about lead levels and one study I read said that the average lead level for adults living in large cities back in the 60's and 70's was 75, supposedly from the lead levels in the air due to burning leaded gasoline. With leaded gasoline almost non existent these days, the average lead level for an adult is under 15. There maybe some truth to that study.
 
I have had high levels on and off for the last 5 years when I got it tested for the first time ever. I have been a regular shooter (2x a week) for most of my adult life. Bullet caster and reloader.

When it was high the first time (45), I stopped all shooting. Then I went back to it, no longer shooting on the pistol team or indoors. I also quit casting for ever. (anybody want to buy 30 or 40 molds?)

In the last 5 years it has been up and down a little. 3 months ago it was 22. This test, I didn't even get a phone call, so i thought it was back to normal. I called them and asked them what it was. She said the doctor wrote on your chart it was stable and Chronic. Now I am not so happy and ask what was the number. She said 20. So now I have chronic lead poisening.

Just for you casters, I don't blame it all on casting, I just was doing too much with lead from A to Z. Making ingots, blending, casting, reloading...... So I took some of it out of the picture.

I have moved over to the dark side a little, been shooting my 223 a lot more with the jacketed bullets I am buying for the same price as cast lead for my 44 or 45.

I learned a lot here about this and thinking back, I was the one that cleaned up the range after a mach almost every time. I have stopped doing that.

David
 
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Oldtrader3 said:
Wash your hands really well after shooting. Your lead level need to be 60 particles per 10 deciliters to be a problem.
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The first sentence is correct. The second makes no sense at all and may potentially result in someone thinking that their serum lead concentration is OK when it's not. So, just for the record:

1. Lead is not a normal constituent in the human body. Studies of ancient human remains have shown that, prior to the technology for smelting of lead and its subsequent uses, the average BLL (blood lead level) was 0.018 mcg/dl (micrograms per deciliter - the standard units in which BLL data is given, not "particles" and not 10 deciliters [= 1 liter, BTW]).

2. The current average BLL in the US population is approximately 3 mcg/dl, down from something in the 'teens prior to the elimination of tetraethyl lead additive in gasoline.

3. There is no BLL that is considered truly "safe." According to the World Health Organization, no lower threshold for the effects of lead on the body has been found. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers any BLL above 10 mcg/dl (5 mcg/dl for children) to be of concern, and a reason to take action to reduce exposure. I fully expect that these numbers will be lowered in the future based on additional research.

4. This varies by state, but BLL concentrations in the range of 20 to 25 mcg/dl are required by law to be reported by health care providers to state health agencies, on the assumption that such elevated levels are caused by workplace exposure, which then involves various right-to-know and similar worker protection laws. This obviously doesn't directly concern shooters, except those who may also work at ranges, but it is a measure of the degree of concern associated with levels above about 20 mcg/dl.

5. Although it's not a "bright line", 60 mcg/dl is approximately the point at which health effects are potentially so severe that active intervention, as opposed to simply reducing exposure and allowing natural processes to eliminate lead from the body, is warranted. Chelation (EDTA) therapy is one such response. I understand it's very unpleasant.

It's a simple matter to enjoy our shooting/reloading/bullet casting hobbies while taking reasonable precautions to minimize lead exposure and protect our health. This thread has a great deal of valuable information on how to do that and, even though I was aware of most of it, I intend to go back and read through it more carefully.
 
Seattle Times ????

Sounds like TREE HUGGERS on a mission to me.

Highly Selective examples, old info?

Lead can be dangerous and so can a LACK OF COMMON SENSE.


Wash hands, wear Nitrile or Latex Gloves when reloading or cleaning firearms.

I started loading HI-TEK coated projectiles about 18 months ago, both purchased and self coated.

HI-TEK COMPLETELY ENCAPSULATES the lead, others are using POWDER COATING for projectiles.

Use good ventilation when casting.


Wash Hands in cold water, wipe shoes/boots well when leaving the indoor range.

Don't eat, drink, or smoke while shooting.

Don't keep cigarettes in your shirt pocket if you do smoke,

the lead dust will settle on the package top and opened area of the pack.


Wash shooting clothes separately.

Look at changing to WET TUMBLING for your brass cleaning.

If you use a VIBRATORY cleaner, Change the media frequently, and dump brass outdoors. (dust)

Don't run a vibratory cleaner in your living areas is best if you use one.

Take some Vitamin C.
 
airborne particles

I am on the action pistol committee at my club, and committee members take turns at running falling plate and steel challenge matches. If you have 20 people, each shooting about 100 rounds during a match, and you are standing there as RO, with the timer, and breathing in the gunsmoke, you are picking up fine particles in your lungs, where they are readily absorbed, a good bit of it coming from the primers. At this point there are no lead free primers for rimfire rounds, so even if you are shooting lead free projectiles, with a .22, you are still subject to fine particulates. Just saying.
 
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