Reloading with a pregnant lady in the house

*MALICE* said:
Don't you dare let her in a car! Do you know how many people die in cars every day!!??


;)

The tumbler is probably the 'worst' issue just because of the dust. Put it in the garage or something but other than that, unless she is sucking on used primers or cleaning the cases with her mouth, it will be fine.



You dumped contaminants down the sink?? Does this mean I can start dumping used motor oil down the sink??
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With SS media you pour the water down the drain, and everything with it. Most of it is carbon. If you were to see how black it can be it would make you rething dry tumbling where it's "absorbed" by the media.
 
While I do understand the concerns about lead tracking and contamination, I think some of this stuff gets a bit out of hand. Ultimately, it's completely up to you and mama. If you feel there's enough risk that it makes you feel uncomfortable (and I think by posting the question, you've expressed that feeling), just don't do it. Suck it up and go buy factory ammuntion each time you go shoot, spend every round at the range and leave the empties there or store them at a buddy's place who has doesn't have the same predicament - if you want to go to those lengths. Believe me when I say that this is only the beginning to a whole mess of "lifestyle adjustments" you now have ahead of you....

I work in a uranium mill where we're exposed to all sorts of nasty crap, including heavy metals. The old "In the sate of California, lead has been proven to cause birth defects...." thing I doubt holds a candle to the exposures we experience here. The measures we impose are safe according to federally-regulated standards and the biggest things anyone here seem to suffer from are over inflated senses of importance and obesity due to the camp food and lack of self control. Respirators are mandatory in some areas, SCBA's and those painter's coveralls taped at the openings are mandatory in others (though very few) but for the most part, it's all common sense. Wash your hands, limit your exposure and shower prior to leaving the plant and returning to camp. I dunno - maybe the people in California are eating the lead. How many hunters' wives and children for how many generations have eaten game shot with lead projectiles? I don't mean to trivialize the subject but I think practical reason needs to return to our daily lives and reclaim it's rightful position over the fear of everything.

Just my thoughts
Rooster
 
Oh, and by the way OP, congratulations. I'm positive that you have never known emotions that you will experience from now on. It seems especially if you have daughters!:rolleyes:

I truly hope you and mama are blessed with trouble-free child rearing!

Rooster
 
Having a cat and kitty litter in the house is more dangerous than reloading

Do you let your wife clean the the kitty litter ?

Do you let your wife pump her own gas in her car ?
 
zuke

I respect your question because I live in the U.S. and our EPA protection is much more relaxed than your laws in Canada.

I stopped casting bullets when my wife was pregnant with our first boy and never started casting again. The problem here in the U.S. with deregulation was our wheel weights contained toxic heavy metals. In our American Rifleman Magazine there was an article about the lead content in bullet casters blood vs plumbers who soldered copper water pipes. (yes it was before plastic water pipes)

What got to me was the lead levels between bullets casters and plumbers was extremely low, "BUT" bullet casters had very high levels of toxic heavy metals. Even with exhaust fans the bullet casters were over out EPA limits for heavy metals and the casting areas were contaminated also.

Bottom line, I reloaded in our basement and kept the area clean when my wife was pregnant with our sons and afterwards when the kids were little. I have NEVER reloaded upstairs in a occupied living area in over 45 years of reloading. I have also never read anything indicating any problems associated with reloading and pregnant women and both our boys are in their 30s now and healthy.

The only thing that comes to mind as being harmful are indoor shooting ranges and the lead content in the air. Many ranges do not have proper ventilation and are no place for a pregnant women or little children because of the effects of lead and child development.

Also reloading covers a lot of ground, from loading a few boxes a year for hunting to massive reloading projects feeding mutable AR15 rifles.

Below pictured is just 1/3 of the .223.5.56 brass I'm working on, reloading these silly black rifles that keep throwing my brass away.

halfdone.jpg
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone. Ive shown my wife all of your responses and she thinks your are all great people. The decision has been made to move the reloading bench to the garage as it is currently in the corner of a downstairs living room next to the sewing machine benches. Probably not a good idea to lose any spent primers in the baby clothes that are being made. As for being new parents we are really excited and luckly the baby is due just before sheep season and the Misses gets a few weeks to rest up before the start of the elk rut. She chased one particular bull last year and never got a shot at it.
Thanks
Windy
 
I work environmental compliance, specifically in electronic waste recycling which has lead and other heavy metals.

Do not, i repeat, do not be reloading while she is carrying.

I have found lead particles in microwaves of lunch rooms hundreds of meters away from the lead source. These buildings are designed to contain lead particles yet some still gets out.

Mind you, we are talking parts per million, but lead and babies do not mix.

Why even take the chance?
 
Always best to use extra precautions, when handling preggies.
After reloading, be sure to was your hands thoroughly, before any heavy petting takes place.
Sure wish my father had!
 
trebor2880 said:
Always best to use extra precautions, when handling preggies.
After reloading, be sure to was your hands thoroughly, before any heavy petting takes place.
Sure wish my father had!
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Laugh2 And look at you go now! All harnessed up & tied to the monkey bars, lickin' windows on the short bus. Ah yes..... brings back mammaries of my flavoured rock collection.
 
I'm not sure how serious it is to 'contend' with a relatively small degree of the possible contaminants generated by the whole reloading process. When casting bullets for some handgun reloads, just as a precaution for dealing with the lead fumes, I'd use a double fan mounted over the little window in my reloading room as in the photo below. In the photo, the fan is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, below the window and just behind the RCBS chronograph.

I no longer cast, not because of concerns of the effects of lead fumes but because it's an aspect of reloading I hate doing. Also, I have a friend close by who's pretty deep into casting, does a much better job than I ever did and from who I can purchase all I require.

Reloadingrm1.jpg


I still utilize the fan set-up when reloading as it's there, easy to set up and while not critical perhaps, I don't think a little caution hurts.
 
If you want to reduce exposure to toxins, start with her makeup and "skin creams" Have a look at the ingredient lists and google some of the chemicals if you're curious. Bear in mind that many of the petroleum derivatives in makeup and elsewhere can penetrate the skin and be absorbed into the blood stream and that means sharing with you-know-who.

Maybe too late for folic acid, but you can research that yourself I'm sure; essential for avoiding Down's Syndrome.

You can read up on other household toxins like cleaning supplies etc. if you're curious.

Everyone's nervous the first time; goes with the territory. Just make sure you have a really good MD and obgyn - research them!

In general get her the best nutrition you can without going overboard on supplements, that means high quality, fresh foods, prepared so as to preserve as much of the nutrition as possible.

And read "Wheat Belly" in your spare moments! ;-) Good luck to all!
 
*MALICE* said:
..............she is sucking on used primers or cleaning the cases with her mouth..............
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well... no comment;)
To original poster If this is your first child, forget the reloading for a while, enjoy the next few years and take lotsa pictures. the years pass quickly and next thing you know you will have a young partner to enjoy your shooting hobby with
 
To the OP, stop reloading immediately and get some sleep, because you won't get a good night's sleep again until they're at least 25 years old.

Just kidding... no, actually I'm not. Get some sleep, now! You'll be soooooorry!

Seriously, sleep = now!

[dirtytwo: father of 3 boys]
 
The Misses and I just sat down and read the MSDS sheets for RL 15 and Federal primers. Wow, dont eat any primers, the powder doesnt seem too bad. I think were gonna keep the loading table in the house but upgrade on the cleanleness factor. The only thing I think that may be real toxic about reloading is the black crumbs from when you remove the spent primers. I know lead is megga toxic but with a full metal jacket are you really touching lead?
 
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