blood and lead dont mix

p14shooter

p14shooter

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Just a little personal story to share. Just for ####s and giggles I had my blood lead level checked the last time I went for blood work figuring everything would be normal. On the call back, my levels are 205 when they should be less than 45. Unlike alcohol, blood and lead do not mix and can potentially have bad health side effects. I shoot 22 rifle once a week indoors, normally shoot about 60 rounds, and there are usually one or two others shooting with me doing the same. Extra care should be taken when shooting indoors. Make sure your exhaust fans are on, when you sweep make sure you use dustbane or something similar, the normal no smoking, eating, drinking on the range. Clean your gear, your ears, mats, coats, cloths, etc. There is a lot more to consider than this one time number, but it should make you think about your surroundings.

I am not saying that shooting is the cause, but I have not come up with anything else in my life that exposes me to lead. The next time my wife goes for her blood work, I will get her to check her's to try and rule out anything in common.

You should consider getting yours checked the next time you go to the Dr. to at least get a base line.
 
Remember that after initial exposure that lead will settle into different organs in the body. While blood work will catch acute exposure it will not reveal lead that has permeated into the organs.

In order to check for long term lead exposure one needs to have a "provocation" test done, i.e. use of a chelator agent in order to draw the heavy metal from the tissues before testing. I have seen blood work that shows normal levels of heavy metals until a challenge test is done.

The good news is, lead is easy and safe to chelate out of the body for most people.

If you are interested in having your heavy metal levels checked look into MD's or ND's in your area that practice chealtion therapy.

I recommend all "active" shooters to get this test done every 5-10 years, of course, the problem of exposure is worse if you shoot indoors.
 
I could be mistaken, however, my understanding is that contact with metallic lead is fairly safe. Even if swallowed, it basically passes straight through. Lead salts are another matter, as they can be readily absorbed into fatty tissues. Also, airborne lead from the discharge of a firearm can be ionized by the action of firing, and can also be absorbed. I am no doctor, but I am basing this on what my doctor told me when I asked how bad it was to hold lead pellets in my mouth when hunting.
 
What your doctor was alluding to is the toxicological concept of bioavailability. Where the form of the contaminant really dictates the rate of absorption. So, those readily soluble lead salts are more bioavailable than lead in some mineralized form.

For lead, ingestion is the most significant route of exposure. Most of the absorption of lead in our GI tract occurs in our small intestines... so if you can picture soluble lead salts as releasing more [Pb] per g mass, because they dissociate so readily... whereas lead that is tightly bound to something, just gets pooped out.... but you still shouldn't eat lead, it might not kill you instantly, but itll cancer you pretty good...

So basically, it has nothing to do with "fatty tissues", but has everything to do with how much lead actually gets into systemic circulation (your blood). There, it just generally does bad things all over... with the main concern being chronic carcinogenic exposure. (see "Mechanism of action")

Lead is mainly a problem because of its persistence and the fact that once absorbed (and not pooped out), it tends to stick around for a long while. So the key is to reduce your exposure at all times, meaning don't suck on lead pellets (chronic exposure).. and also avoid sudden acute exposures to lead (getting shot).
 
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Always wear rubber gloves when reloading or cleaning guns.
Always wear dust masks (at least N95, P100 if possible) when emptying a tumbler, moving forward of a firing line at an indoor range, or sweeping a dusty area where you reload.
Always wash your hands with D-lead hand soap after shooting or handling guns or ammunition.
Always shower with D-lead body wash after shooting.
Always wipe down any surface you touch after shooting with D-lead wipes (i.e. - steering wheel)
Always wash your clothes with D-lead detergent after you shoot or empty a tumbler SEPARATE from your main clothes.

I tested in the caution zone when I started working at The Shooting Edge. For 3 years prior, I never did any of those things. I started since, last I checked my lead levels went down.

The big thing JR told me was most of the exposure that meaningfully raises your blood lead levels you get comes from bad hygiene or not using proper PPE at appropriate times.

Now, it's just second habit for me to do the above stated.
 
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Well I think that I can testify to what Hill Billy says about swallowing lead. In my 87th year and as a kid with a Daisy one shot BB gun, I carried about 10 lead BBs in my mouth to "spit" down the barrel as I cocked the gun with the but against my left leg. I must have swallowed many in my grandparents hen house when slaughtering the thieving sparrows.:shotgun:BUT my wife tonight reminded me that I am only in my 86th year, my BD 4 months from today ,Fathers DAY. :HR:
 
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I know of some military people who have medical time off for too much lead in the system. Kind of ironic actually.. considering they were sending the lead the other way!
 
Ceska said:
In order to check for long term lead exposure one needs to have a "provocation" test done, i.e. use of a chelator agent in order to draw the heavy metal from the tissues before testing. I have seen blood work that shows normal levels of heavy metals until a challenge test is done.

The good news is, lead is easy and safe to chelate out of the body for most people.
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I did this with my son. Dr. Zigurt Strauts in Surrey, BC is heavily into it.
 
Sly Old Fox said:
Well I think that I can testify to what Hill Billy says about swallowing lead. In my 87th year and as a kid with a Daisy one shot BB gun, I carried about 10 lead BBs in my mouth to "spit" down the barrel as I cocked the gun with the but against my left leg. I must have swallowed many in my grandparents hen house when slaughtering the thieving sparrows.:shotgun:
Click to expand...

I was the same way as a kid.Summer time usually meant roaming around in a pair of shorts,no shirt,carrying my pellet gun.Easiest way to carry the pellets was to pop a handful in my mouth and walk through the woods doing my target practice.How many homemade lead sinkers I crimped on a fishing line over the years by biting them is probably to high a number to count as well.Ahh,the good old days before health and safety people took away our fun.
 
This has nothing to do with shooting guns, but thought it's an interesting factoid....

I have a Car Kulture DeLuxe magazine #57. There is an article about legendary body man Bill Hines aka Leadslinger. Born in 1922, slinging lead since 1941.
He's still living. Anyway, apparently doctors checked him out and he has 23% lead in his blood.... 23%! He's also smoked cigars since the age 13.
According to him, Bondo is bad for your health..LOL
He heats Lead rod and spreads it with wooden spoons, custom hot rod body work.

Bill-hines2.jpg
 
caperaway said:
I was the same way as a kid.Summer time usually meant roaming around in a pair of shorts,no shirt,carrying my pellet gun.Easiest way to carry the pellets was to pop a handful in my mouth and walk through the woods doing my target practice.How many homemade lead sinkers I crimped on a fishing line over the years by biting them is probably to high a number to count as well.Ahh,the good old days before health and safety people took away our fun.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of a story the old timers at CN rail told when we were doing some work in the shop. They used to put a bucket of asbestos and a bucket of water at either end of the shop. The guys would then line up at either end, dip a handful of asbestos in the water to form a ball and proceed to have an asbestos fight until everyone was good and white. A few years later, safety was invented and ruined all the fun. (I'm not suggesting in any way that asbestos fights were a good thing)
 
4307 said:
This has nothing to do with shooting guns, but thought it's an interesting factoid....

I have a Car Kulture DeLuxe magazine #57. There is an article about legendary body man Bill Hines aka Leadslinger. Born in 1922, slinging lead since 1941.
He's still living. Anyway, apparently doctors checked him out and he has 23% lead in his blood.... 23%! He's also smoked cigars since the age 13.
According to him, Bondo is bad for your health..LOL
He heats Lead rod and spreads it with wooden spoons, custom hot rod body work.

Bill-hines2.jpg
Click to expand...

This is the most bada$$ looking picture ever.
 
4307 said:
This has nothing to do with shooting guns, but thought it's an interesting factoid....

I have a Car Kulture DeLuxe magazine #57. There is an article about legendary body man Bill Hines aka Leadslinger. Born in 1922, slinging lead since 1941.
He's still living. Anyway, apparently doctors checked him out and he has 23% lead in his blood.... 23%! He's also smoked cigars since the age 13.
According to him, Bondo is bad for your health..LOL
He heats Lead rod and spreads it with wooden spoons, custom hot rod body work.

Bill-hines2.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks the quintessential picture of health! That back tumor doesn't look too bad...

Seriously though, I did have both blood and provoked urine tests and what was stated earlier are correct. The "provoked" result was much more accurate to actual levels. Your blood doesn't actually circulate lead for long, it is deposited in tissues. (ie: blood test only shows acute levels)

After seeing my results, I changed some of my habits. (see harbl the cat's post)
 
caperaway said:
I was the same way as a kid.Summer time usually meant roaming around in a pair of shorts,no shirt,carrying my pellet gun.Easiest way to carry the pellets was to pop a handful in my mouth and walk through the woods doing my target practice.How many homemade lead sinkers I crimped on a fishing line over the years by biting them is probably to high a number to count as well.Ahh,the good old days before health and safety people took away our fun.
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SOF here. I just amended my post to which Caperaway is referring above because I am only in my 86th year. Lead sinkers, I forgot all about them. Melting lead I did before I was 12 years old, have cast thousands of bullets, ball, slugs etc. Do not ask me about quicksilver!
 
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