- Location
- Halifax - NS
That's my experience personally and with friends who decide to track the lead...
Blood lead
- Thread starter carlchevalier
- Start date
That's my experience personally and with friends who decide to track the lead...
MikeyScuba
CGN Regular
- Location
- GTA, Ontario
Just a shot in the dark but wouldn't dry tumbling still have dust (albeit small) left on the brass? That dust containing a mix of heavy metals that just gets worse with every batch processed.
Hey Trevor,
See I was told anything under .5 umol-l was not too bad by a health Canada official... I'm at .729... they also told me I could keep shooting but that I should stop reloading... She feels the source of contamination is the reloading and not the range. (indoor) My doctor said I couldn't shoot or reload... it's all pretty confusing. There is also this risk of contaminating my wife and kids. My press is in my basement, tumbler in the garage. They also need to get tested....
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MikeyScuba
CGN Regular
- Location
- GTA, Ontario
Wet tumble!!!! And load up the tumbler and sort brass outside and ditch the clothes carefully and wash when you are done.
My wife's was high but that was just from indoor shooting. Why not wear one of these? What you have to be careful is touching anything in an indoor range. The indoor range one we belong to is having issues (I think most are, or just blissfully ignorant). They won't spend the $4k to get a more diffuse airflow.
My wife's was high but that was just from indoor shooting. Why not wear one of these? What you have to be careful is touching anything in an indoor range. The indoor range one we belong to is having issues (I think most are, or just blissfully ignorant). They won't spend the $4k to get a more diffuse airflow.
Attachments
This was my point regarding Doctors being all over the map, then you've got the document from MB Safety & Health advising anything under 1.4 umol/L is considered an acceptable occupational level.
I'm thinking the same thing.
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
I reload
But my brass is washed clean. Handle all projectiles with gloves, and all brass with gloves when reloading. Since my cleaning is dust free, it all helps.When I was dry tumbling, and not using gloves, things were not so rosy.
I have been reloading for over 30 years. I use corn cob media to clean my brass, I don't wear gloves when handling my brass or lead bullets for that matter. I cast on average about 10K - 20K cast bullets per year. My blood levels are fine. I have them checked every two years. I don't shoot indoors frequently as in seldom. My biggest concern when I SO/RO is walking through the smoke cloud from the shooter as I move downrange to score. Some days the smoke really hangs.
Lead poisoning is nothing to dismiss lightly but I don't think you need a hazmat suit to enjoy shooting and reloading either. Most modern indoor ranges are well ventilated and their is not much to be concerned about. If you shoot at an older range with poor ventilation, you might want to change venues. Washing your hands after handling lead just makes sense. Casting in a well ventilated room or outdoors makes sense.
Comments regarding the medical community are telling. You certainly want a doctor that has some idea what he is talking about.
Others may have their own experiences and observations, the above are mine.
Take Care
Bob
Lead poisoning is nothing to dismiss lightly but I don't think you need a hazmat suit to enjoy shooting and reloading either. Most modern indoor ranges are well ventilated and their is not much to be concerned about. If you shoot at an older range with poor ventilation, you might want to change venues. Washing your hands after handling lead just makes sense. Casting in a well ventilated room or outdoors makes sense.
Comments regarding the medical community are telling. You certainly want a doctor that has some idea what he is talking about.
Others may have their own experiences and observations, the above are mine.
Take Care
Bob
I recently just switched back to dry tumbling for case processing issues.
So all my wet tumbling deleading perks are lost, but was sick of how it made my brass so clean that it was sticking in dies without lube.
I have even set up an air ventillator right over media seperator that vaccuums air directly outside, use gloves and mask when seperating.
What do you guys think of the sticky deleading floor mats you see at certain indoor ranges? Maybe i can set one up outside my reload room and maybe even get the indoor IPSC section to get one for our practices.
Air purifiers, do they catch lead particules? If yes i could purchase the one thats qualified for 1000 square feet for the 400 square feet reload space.
So all my wet tumbling deleading perks are lost, but was sick of how it made my brass so clean that it was sticking in dies without lube.
I have even set up an air ventillator right over media seperator that vaccuums air directly outside, use gloves and mask when seperating.
What do you guys think of the sticky deleading floor mats you see at certain indoor ranges? Maybe i can set one up outside my reload room and maybe even get the indoor IPSC section to get one for our practices.
Air purifiers, do they catch lead particules? If yes i could purchase the one thats qualified for 1000 square feet for the 400 square feet reload space.
Hi All,
I had a similar experience about 15 years ago when the indoor range was still "old school" - dirt backstop, basic ventilation, no restrictions on what was shot in there and no respirators during clean-up (eek!). I got checked out and was diagnosed with high lead blood levels (1.1 if I remember correctly). All the range officers were becoming a bit concerned with the then recent change in the maximum allowable limits (about half what it was in the eighties) and all tested a bit high. No correlation between members to casting, shooting lead or jacketed - mostly just a lot of residual lead in the range.
Fast forward ten years and the local health region is all over everyone but the fellows at the range did a great job of cleaning the place up and implementing protocols around regular maintenance and what can be thrown down range. Fewer people are casting out of fear of the potential harmful side effects (so don't drink it) and most shoot jacketed or plated now. Regardless of the level of cleanliness, any exposed lead - primers or bullets - is going to get into the air eventually; it's just a matter of keeping the levels from building up.
Anyhow, the main point here is that, although my levels have returned to "normal", I mentioned that I had elevated lead levels at one time and was denied insurance on the basis of that being an "existing condition". It took me six months of fighting for them to admit there wasn't any basis for that assessment but if anyone's wondering if the medical community's all on the same page, think again. I won't even go into the "since guns are bad for society, common services (health care, policing, etc.) should not be supporting gun clubs" mantra...
Steve
I had a similar experience about 15 years ago when the indoor range was still "old school" - dirt backstop, basic ventilation, no restrictions on what was shot in there and no respirators during clean-up (eek!). I got checked out and was diagnosed with high lead blood levels (1.1 if I remember correctly). All the range officers were becoming a bit concerned with the then recent change in the maximum allowable limits (about half what it was in the eighties) and all tested a bit high. No correlation between members to casting, shooting lead or jacketed - mostly just a lot of residual lead in the range.
Fast forward ten years and the local health region is all over everyone but the fellows at the range did a great job of cleaning the place up and implementing protocols around regular maintenance and what can be thrown down range. Fewer people are casting out of fear of the potential harmful side effects (so don't drink it) and most shoot jacketed or plated now. Regardless of the level of cleanliness, any exposed lead - primers or bullets - is going to get into the air eventually; it's just a matter of keeping the levels from building up.
Anyhow, the main point here is that, although my levels have returned to "normal", I mentioned that I had elevated lead levels at one time and was denied insurance on the basis of that being an "existing condition". It took me six months of fighting for them to admit there wasn't any basis for that assessment but if anyone's wondering if the medical community's all on the same page, think again. I won't even go into the "since guns are bad for society, common services (health care, policing, etc.) should not be supporting gun clubs" mantra...
Steve
