| Posted: Tue Sep 1st, 2009 04:12 AM |
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steel13
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Working in the Steel industry, every 6 months, I'm required by my company to have a blood lead test.\
As some of you know I cast quite a few lead Boolits, so I'm especially concerned that my lead level may be significantly higher than it should be. So the other day I got my results back, I am at an 18 PPM, which is only slightly higher than the national average. I wear a special forced air respirator at work, but dont wear any thing while casting. My pot temps never exceed 850, and my typical cast temp is around 680.
The vaporization point of lead is above a 1,000, and thats when it becomes dangerous.
I do a good job of cleaning up after casting,by wiping down table tops and sweeping the cement floor.
So if your worried that your killing yourself by casting a few Boolits, dont fret. I get double exposure and I'm still kickin'
Justin
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| Posted: Tue Sep 1st, 2009 05:37 PM |
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2nd Post |
Paul B
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The acceptable level of lead in the blood was reduced a few years back to a much lower level according to what my doctor told me. I've been casting bullets continually since I was 16 years old with a four year break while in the military. (I did get some casting done while home on leave.) During the mid 60's, I also worked for a now defunct company that made cast handgun bullets. Working conditions were horrible with four people casting in a small enclosed 10x10 foot room, smokey as hell. We literally ate and drank lunch and sodas while working as production was the rule. If there were safety rules, we never heard of them. 
When all the fuss and bother about lead being so dangerous, I got a bit worried, so when I went in for my annual physical, I asked it there was a test to see how much lead was in my body. There was and the doc aded it to the list. At that time the acceptable level was so much PPM. (I don't remember the numbers, sorry) Turns out, the lead in my system was well below what was allowable.  Now I get it checked every year as a matter of course. The even better news is my lead level is below the new standards as well. This makes me wonder if all the fuss and bother about lead is as bad as the ecofreaks say it is. While I take all the recommended precautions these days, I never did prior to that first blood test. I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.
One thing that may have made a difference is I have always drunk a lot of orange juice. I have read elsewhere that OJ is one thing that helps the body purge itself of lead contamination. To this day, I average at least a gallon of OJ a week just because I like the stuff. If that's what made a difference then I guess I just lucked out. 
The smart thing to do is when you get your annual physical, ask the doctor to add a lead level blood serum test to find out where you stand. If you have too much lead, then something can be done to square the problem away. If you level is at an acceptable level, then any worry will be gone. peace of mind at least on that level.  No pun intended.
Paul B.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 1st, 2009 09:07 PM |
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miestro_jerry
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I am more worried about my Doxin level than my lead level. My lead count has always been below average, I do take some safe precautions when I am casting. Such as having a fan to cause air movement. During the warmer weather, we cause with the bay door open and the side door open, with a fan operatings. I am looking for a swamp fan for the shop, that will help some.
Jerry
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| Posted: Wed Sep 2nd, 2009 01:53 AM |
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Rockydog
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I had a friend that had very high levels due to sandblasting bridges for painting back in the 50s and 60s. IIRC No protection then, even dust mask use amounted to a kerchief tied around your face. He had to quit bridge work and earn a living doing something else. Had a lot of health issues because of it. RD
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| Posted: Wed Sep 2nd, 2009 02:13 AM |
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Charley
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Used to have serum cholinesterase levels checked yearly, alway had them run lead levels, too. No more cholinesterase inhibitors in use now, so I don't get it checked. Lead levels were always ok, though.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 2nd, 2009 06:26 PM |
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saddlesore
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All this scare stuf about lead,reminds me when I started to work underground nuclear testing. In the 60's the max radaition limit was about 5000 mr/yr. Then it dropped to 1000mr/yr, then to 500mr per yr. Many of us exceeded those limits year after year.
Of course many of my fellow workers ar dead. But mostly form having radioactive particles imbeded in thier clothing etc.
MY health problems are from breathing the dust underground , not radioactivity. We rountinely stacked several hundred tons of lead bricks and shot for shileding every yr, but the silica , asbestos,and diesel fumes are what got me.
Anything in excesscan kill you, but simple saftey measures and precautions will usually suffice . Don't even get me started on this lead ingestion scare from shooting animals with lead bulltes
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| Posted: Tue Sep 8th, 2009 02:14 PM |
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fryboy
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the lead from the primers is our biggest culprit (IMO ) in the air when we fire and also in the tumbler media dust ( never breathe that stuff ! )i had a cousin who had lead poisoning when i was younger i dont recall what caused his and sadly i cant ask him ,being safe always pays -it may not seem to but it does !
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| Posted: Fri Dec 18th, 2009 09:57 PM |
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Drygulch
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steel13 wrote: Working in the Steel industry, every 6 months, I'm required by my company to have a blood lead test.
As some of you know I cast quite a few lead Boolits, so I'm especially concerned that my lead level may be significantly higher than it should be. So the other day I got my results back, I am at an 18 PPM, which is only slightly higher than the national average. I wear a special forced air respirator at work, but dont wear any thing while casting. My pot temps never exceed 850, and my typical cast temp is around 680.
The vaporization point of lead is above a 1,000, and thats when it becomes dangerous.
I do a good job of cleaning up after casting,by wiping down table tops and sweeping the cement floor.
So if your worried that your killing yourself by casting a few Boolits, dont fret. I get double exposure and I'm still kickin'
Justin
I cast a lot of bullets! I request lead testing during my cholesteral blood test every six months and they always come back negative. Rod1
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| Posted: Fri Dec 18th, 2009 11:51 PM |
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OldStuffer
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The "lead ingestion from shooting game with lead bullets", isn't quite the stupidest thing I ever heard, but, it's up there in the top 5.
It's just the latest angle by the animal and evironment nuts to stop hunting and shooting.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 19th, 2009 01:46 AM |
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klw
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Several years ago I started having my blood lead level checked every six months or so. To make a long story short, what I found was that you are more likely to get elevated lead levels from shooting cast bullets than casting. If you shoot a rifle which doesn't seal up properly that will raise your blood lead levels more than bullet casting.
Some times when using cast bullets in a rifle you have to drop the powder charge in order to get an accurate load. Drop it to much and the gun doesn't seal up properly. That can be a source of lead posioning.
My understanding of lead levels in the blood is that below 20 you don't really need to worry. Between 20 and 30 you should be seriously trying to figure out what you are doing wrong and fixing the problem. Cross 30 and you want to see a doctor who knows something about this (most doctors don't). Hit 40 and you've got a serious problem.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 19th, 2009 04:14 AM |
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Capn Jack
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Personally I think "High Lead Levels" is the "Global Warming" of the anti-gunners. .....
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| Posted: Sat Dec 19th, 2009 05:44 AM |
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miestro_jerry
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but dont wear any thing while casting.
That could be dangerous, and probably cold this time of the year. Or Fried in the front and foze in the back.
I wear a respirator when I am doing serious amounts of casting, when I am cooking up alloys, I do that out of doors on a nice day.
The point about the lead dust in the air after shooting has been a problem for indoor ranges for many years, most have a decent or out standing air exchange system, but a few still don't.
My foundry building will have it's own air system with positive pressure masks.
Jerry
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 12:17 PM |
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Timberwolf
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Even though I retired, I still get my Pb level checked as a matter of course.
I stopped shooting lead 2 or 3 years ago.
I had a high reading once, high enough to be of concern, but 6 months later it was back to normal levels.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 03:49 PM |
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miestro_jerry
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Doesn't beer clean the lead out of your system?
Jerry
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 04:25 PM |
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OldStuffer
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Capn Jack wrote: Personally I think "High Lead Levels" is the "Global Warming" of the anti-gunners......
I agree.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 04:43 PM |
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klw
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Sort of, actually. Lead levels drop from fluid loss, i.e. urine.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 04:53 PM |
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Capn Jack
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klw,
If that's true, I probably don't have any traces of lead in me. 
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 05:01 PM |
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Paul B
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FWIW, drinking lots of orange juice helps the body eliminate any lead in the system. As much casting as I have done in the last 55 years, the fact that I've always been an orange juice freak seems to have helped in making a difference. I learned that from an article I read several years ago on another site that someone posted. Apparently, one of the things they suggest for people with high levels of lead in their systems is drink OJ. Can't hurt, that's for sure. Paul B. Last edited on Sun Dec 20th, 2009 05:01 PM by Paul B
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20th, 2009 07:22 PM |
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miestro_jerry
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My doctor does a Dioxin test on me every so often, they come back below the national norm. He does a lead test every 5 years, but does do other heavy metal tests at the same time. As that I work with bronze, mercury and some other stuff.
I have been exposed to all sorts of hazardous stuff over my life and seem to have survived well. A dear friend of mine was a stain glass artist, he lived into his ealy 70s before lead poisoning started to really cost him his health, he passed away about 4 months after the doctors told him that he was in the end stages of the poisoning. He had done stain glass work since he was 14 years old and studied in Europe. He took reasonable precautions all of his career.
A company that I used to do some consulting for, was operating in a casket factory, the orginal company made lead coated steel caskets. It turned out that all of the wooden floors and support beams were several hundreds of times more contaminated than the law allows. When the building was demolished, they basically pushed the debris into the basement and foundation, then some one put a building ontop of it. So much for the water table.
We are all exposed to many toxic materials every day.
Jerry
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| Posted: Fri Dec 25th, 2009 06:30 PM |
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Offfhand
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Quote from above:
"If you shoot a rifle which doesn't seal up properly that will raise your blood lead levels more than bullet casting.
Some times when using cast bullets in a rifle you have to drop the powder charge in order to get an accurate load. Drop it to much and the gun doesn't seal up properly. That can be a source of lead posioning."
This is an interesting statement, but not all all sure I understand. Could kiw, or anyone else,please explain further?
Thank you
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