dammit

I wish I knew what I was doing right that I could pass along for others but the fact is I don't use gloves to handle brass or bullets nor do I wear a mask when cleaning brass with a vibatory cleaner or tumble the nut shells out, nor do I have an exhaust fan over my casting pot (don't wear a mask here neither, lead temp kept very close to 700 ) which is indoors (large 18' x 48' shop area but in winter time all doors/windows buttoned up tight), do all my PCing indoors also so humidity is controlled and I have my lead level checked periodicaly and have never had a lead level that is, in my Doc,s words "not even a remote worry"

Edited; the one thing different that I don't do that some on here do is shoot indoors.
 
I asked my doctor to have me tested today. My request was rejected. Quote... "if it was occupational exposure then it might be justified".

I see a battle of wills brewing.

M
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hear that, I just put in for a test with my doc too, we'll see where it goes. Still haven't got around to putting another handle on that 9mm 124gn mold I got from you at the High Prairie gunshow, but I will eventually. Will you be going this year as well? I'll be there for sure, whether its helping out at that vendors table or just to go, not sure yet.
 
Last edited:
gnmontey said:
I asked my doctor to have me tested today. My request was rejected. Quote... "if it was occupational exposure then it might be justified".

I see a battle of wills brewing.

M
Click to expand...

Damn... might be time for a new Doc I think. When I asked mine for the first one her first question was "do you make your own bullets"...kind of shocked me that she could make that correlation without any hint at all.

I do have a yearly renewed blood test order for regular med checks but she couldn't put the lead test on that one so I have to make a one-time request for one periodically.
 
gnmontey said:
I asked my doctor to have me tested today. My request was rejected. Quote... "if it was occupational exposure then it might be justified".

I see a battle of wills brewing.
J
M
Click to expand...
I inferred from your comments that you are not paying the Doctor, but possibly your employer has an employee medical plan. The employer puts limits on what he is willing to pay. Am I wrong on this? Our situation in Canada is quite different but I am still interested in what people have to go through to maintain their own health. Get the test even if you have to pay for the service. Neither the employer nor the Doctor will take responsibility for maintaining your health.
 
slug said:
My test just over a year ago was near toxic levels. I switched to lead free pistol primers and don't shoot indoors. I gave away all my large primer .45 Auto cases and bought small primer cases, because I couldn't get large lead free primers. This past September, my lead had dropped to half of what it was. In the spring and summer, I had cast about six thousand bullets, in a garage near the open door, so casting wasn't the big problem. The lead styphnate in the primers is the real baddie.
A club members who is a professor at the local medical faculty did a lot of digging into the lead issue and confirms this.
Click to expand...

Most lead issues stem from shooting at indoor ranges with poor ventilation. Most people who had issues were RO's.

The golden rule is to wash your hands before you do anything, including smoking or eating. Other than the afore mentioned indoor air quality, 90% of lead usually enters through your mouth.
 
slug said:
My test just over a year ago was near toxic levels. I switched to lead free pistol primers and don't shoot indoors. I gave away all my large primer .45 Auto cases and bought small primer cases, because I couldn't get large lead free primers. This past September, my lead had dropped to half of what it was. In the spring and summer, I had cast about six thousand bullets, in a garage near the open door, so casting wasn't the big problem. The lead styphnate in the primers is the real baddie.
A club members who is a professor at the local medical faculty did a lot of digging into the lead issue and confirms this.
Click to expand...

Yes.

Don't jump to the conclusion that it's your casting that introduced the lead into your system.
 
Gun5tuff said:
I inferred from your comments that you are not paying the Doctor, but possibly your employer has an employee medical plan. The employer puts limits on what he is willing to pay. Am I wrong on this? Our situation in Canada is quite different but I am still interested in what people have to go through to maintain their own health. Get the test even if you have to pay for the service. Neither the employer nor the Doctor will take responsibility for maintaining your health.
Click to expand...

I don't pay anything to my Doc or AHCB for any lead testing.
 
I cast and melt lead indoor big time and my blood test shows normal lead levels. Also I do have many friends who use indoor 209 primers to shoot wax bullets for practice and never touch any kind of lead and they all have high levels of lead in their bodies.
I'm ready to bet on improper ventilation during the shooting sessions.
 
Gun5tuff said:
I inferred from your comments that you are not paying the Doctor, but possibly your employer has an employee medical plan. The employer puts limits on what he is willing to pay. Am I wrong on this? Our situation in Canada is quite different but I am still interested in what people have to go through to maintain their own health. Get the test even if you have to pay for the service. Neither the employer nor the Doctor will take responsibility for maintaining your health.
Click to expand...
Crap! None of the above makes any sense because I thought mistakenly that I was still on the CastBoolits web site.
 
Have you ever thought that you might be consuming lead in your drinking water also ? it depends on the area you live in as to the concentration of lead in the water. on the Brita commercial they say it filters out Lead etc etc. it could be a factor No? and then casting and indoor shooting etc. but as someone said in a previous post 90% enters through your mouth . there used to be a guy in the Hamilton area and he cast bullets indoors . I'll never forget walking into his store and having to hold my breath before I entered sometimes to buy ammo or bullets . and then run back out the door to get a breath of fresh air . there was scraps of paper mixed in with his lead and the smoke was unreal sometimes.

I saw this gentleman a short time before he passed away and he was Green . and I'm not joking. also as for your doctor disputing doing a lead test for you I'm sure his reason is cost . at times I have had to say this is what I want to get a test done. tell him straight out unless your scared I cast lead into bullets to save money this is why I want a test for lead. then he will understand. and more than likely he will send you for the test. depending on the province you live in you might have to pay. heck I have to pay for a PSA test . so if it's something that worries you pay for it .
 
As already stated, there are several sources of lead poisoning, so it's not safe (literally) to assume that it's from your casting activities.

In fact, the notion that handling elemental lead ("raw" lead, cast ingots, and cast bullets) can lead to it being absorbed into the blood through the skin, and that lead "fumes" from casting can do the same, are incorrect. Disputes over these too points has caused many an Internet Quarrel. About all that everyone will agree to is the importance of keeping your hands out of your mouth and of washing your hands after handling lead.
 
I wear gloves when handling lead for two reasons, I don't have to wash my hands as often, and I don't touch my face with them on. Some folks I am sure do not even realize how often they do that without thinking. Could account for some lead exposure. And as for indoor range ventilation, that is only part of the problem. The lead dust that coats everything inside the range should be cleaned daily, including wet wiping all surfaces. Who does that?
 
I've always used a lead asbestos respirator from Home Depot when casting. I've always wet tumbled too. No idea what my lead levels would be but I haven't casted for a while. I did read something, and it would be worth asking your doctor, that the lead never really leaves your body. Well if you are urinating it out that cannot be completely true however, I doubt it leaves the brain which leaves lots of unknowns. Just thinking of things like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's which may be linked to heavy metals.
 
Hot lead does not give off vapours. Temp hast to be around 1000°f for vapour.

There are chelation therapies out there which drop lead levels dramatically in a few months.

Also there are a few green vegetables (iirc) that also act as a chelation agent.

http://www.leadsafeworld.com/solutions/foods-for-lead-detox/

As I've stated before, i used to build the equipment that made the lead cores for batteries. The main ppe was soap.
 
a guys tell me this weekend , when i talk about i wan to make a lead test , don t do that , if you are positive it s a diseases subject to obligatory reporting and you just say goodbye to your future life insurance
 
hawk223 said:
I've always used a lead asbestos respirator from Home Depot when casting. I've always wet tumbled too. No idea what my lead levels would be but I haven't casted for a while. I did read something, and it would be worth asking your doctor, that the lead never really leaves your body. Well if you are urinating it out that cannot be completely true however, I doubt it leaves the brain which leaves lots of unknowns. Just thinking of things like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's which may be linked to heavy metals.
Click to expand...

if i remember correctly over time it will leave your body, not sure if it will all be expelled over time. I've done 3 blood tests across 5 months, no castings and only 5 range trips with a mask for pistol stuff and my lead level dropped in half.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom