Blood lead

carlchevalier

carlchevalier

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So I went for a blood test today to determine my blood lead levels... now I have to wait 7 days for a result.

The background to this is . I'm 41 years old, 2 boys, 1 great wife who supports my shooting. Like most of you I'm on the ranges pretty much every week ( indoors). I reload my own stuff and shoot 15-20 matches a year. So at the end of this season my wife started asking about lead.... I've heard of some people having pretty high levels and well here we are. From what I've read 10 micrograms per dl of blood is the limit for an adult.

How worried should I be about this? Has anyone had one ? At what point do you have to say that's it ...
 
Put it this way. I know of an awful lot of old people. Some well into their 90's. My dad is 86 soon & has shot lead and ate more wild game than most would dream of. Can't be that bad if they are getting that high in age.
 
As long as you're indoor range has adequate ventilation you're probably fine.
Basic common sense like washing your hands after shooting or reloading goes a long way.
The fact that you're having it looked at is great, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.
 
I gave up pistol shooting for about four years because my lead levels just couldn't come down. When they did get lower, I started again and they went up again. A member of my club is a professor at the nearby medical school and he did a lot of research for us. The primers were the big culprit. I gave away my large primer .45's and used nothing but lead free small primers. I could only get them in small. My lead levels was 1.1 last winter and came down to .55 by September although I've cast about six thousand bullets in the two months prior to my test. Previously, I had been shooting three times a week during the winter, out a window. The wind always blows in, not out.
 
It's pretty much the reason why I switched from an indoor range to outdoor range after just one year. When I saw that they were asking the range officers to wear half-masks bc they couldn't get the air quality down to an acceptable range. They closed the range a few times to work on the vents but it never really got to a decent level. Ummm no thanks then... I could taste the lead in my mouth there shooting.

It's nicer and more enjoyable outdoors anyway. It's also of the reasons I don't get excited about re-loading either... although I'm sure that's not as bad as shooting in a poorly ventilated indoor range.
 
Lots of lead contaminated ground beside all gun ranges, do the local residences check or test there water for lead who knows, but they probably should.
 
We’ve switched to the Fiocchi lead free primers, well tried them as I just started reloading.

How are you processing your brass? Dry tumbling will contaminate your area with not only lead but other heavy metals, I wet tumble at my shop. Even sorting creates dust.

You could also wear a 3m P100 mask while shooting. All indoor ranges are a problem, same at our club. We got made fun of for wearing them until the old boys got tested. Then they wore them too! Massad Ayoob has a saying he’d rather eat at a toxic waste dump than shoot at an indoor range!
 
IF you have been shooting at a range with less than aggressive ventilation AND your youngsters have been accompanying you to the range you might want to have their blood tested as well IF you have a problem.

One of my closest friends had very high lead levels from shooting in a poorly ventilated indoor range in the US. Turned out his two boys also were affected. Being short they would disturb the lead particles on the floor. Due to their height they were ingesting lead as they walked down range from the falling cloud of smoke and lead particles when they helped set up new targets etc.

This was back 25 years ago. There is a reason why indoor ranges are now required to have better ventilation now.

Like some here, until I listened to his experience and the treatment he had to go through, I too dismissed lead poisoning.

Today my friend and his two sons are active handgun shooters and shoot almost weekly competitions using lead bullets. They don't spend a lot of time in poorly ventilated ranges though, like they did years ago.

New ranges with proper ventilation, electronic controlled target recovery systems etc reduce the risk of lead poisoning. Getting your blood levels checked once in awhile just makes sens if you shoot indoors a lot.

Skidderman, I am 72, grew up in Alberta and hunted and ate ducks most of my adult life. Banning of lead in shot occurred when studies showed the birds were dying from ingesting lead shot when they ate. The lead shot also was found in other bottom feeding birds. Your Grand-dad at 86 and I were not ingesting lead shot nor breathing significant amounts of leas when shooting or eating. You analogy, though well intended, is not connected to the concerns expressed by the OP.

Take Care

Bob
 
Well I just got my results I'm at .729 umol per L or 7.2 per dl ... Not good...but not a disaster. It is at a level that apparently has to be reported to health authorities!? Sooo Mask and gloves while reloading and ROing, or give up the sport... only my Dr. will make that call.

Cheers
 
Hopefully you don't have to stop shooting and the doctor gives you a good plan to lower your level...

I'm thinking I should probably get mine tested now.
 
Well I just got a 3 month timeout... no contact with any form of lead. Shooting, reloading... Only when I test under 4 per dl should I start shooting again. My wife has to get tested to make sure my reloading hasn't contaminated my house ...
 
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carlchevalier said:
Well I just got my results I'm at .729 umol per L or 7.2 per dl ... Not good...but not a disaster. It is at a level that apparently has to be reported to health authorities!? Sooo Mask and gloves while reloading and ROing, or give up the sport... only my Dr. will make that call.

Cheers
Click to expand...

what is the reporting good for?
Would deter me from having mine tested haha,
no seriously..

It's not contagious or a public health threath like hiv / aids or something.
 
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I don't know for sure, might have something to do if its work related. It was noted underneath the test results on my report.

Update!!!

It's a public safety issue. The doctor is obligated to declare my results. Even if the source of contamination is known.
 
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carlchevalier said:
Well I just got a 3 month timeout... no contact with any form of lead. Shooting, reloading... Only when I test under 4 per dl should I start shooting again. My wife has to get tested to make sure my reloading hasn't contaminated my house ...
Click to expand...

You should post your findings in the thread regarding the rcmps reluctance to disclose lead levels in the workplace, many ignorant users here feel you can damn near it directly without ill effects, lead toughen ya up ya know!
 
Primer residue is your enemy. (The black residue on the sides of fired cases, plus the smoke and vapors from the shots you have fired.) Working on that basis, I managed to go from 0.96 to 0.55 in 6 months, and others have been able to achieve better reductions.

For now avoid all contact with lead:
shooting
reloading
sorting brass
soldering
non-drip candles
artist's paint.
The is an unproven hard rock miner's tale that dairy products can help.

Once you get your levels down to an acceptable level, you need to change how you do things with regards to shooting. When you shoot on an indoor range wear a P100 mask. Other people may get away without it, but you cannot. Also wear a hat and a shooting shirt that you take off before you leave the range (do not contaminate the passenger compartment of your vehicle). If contamination in your house is any sort of an issue then have separate footwear for the range to avoid cross contamination. Wash yourself before leaving the range. If you pick up brass wear disposable gloves.

When shooting on an outdoor range the only change I make is to not use the P100 mask.

Anytime you are reloading or handling brass wear disposable gloves.

If you tumble your brass add some used dryer sheets (Bounce or Downy) to the tumbler and throw these sheets away after each use. The sheets are black after each tumble which I suspect (but cannot prove) is primer residue. When your tumbling media starts to darken (primer residue) it is time to change the media.

Wash before eating when at a range or after reloading.
 
carlchevalier said:
Well I just got my results I'm at .729 umol per L or 7.2 per dl ... Not good...but not a disaster. It is at a level that apparently has to be reported to health authorities!? Sooo Mask and gloves while reloading and ROing, or give up the sport... only my Dr. will make that call.

Cheers
Click to expand...

You could just stop reloading no?
 
ralphs said:
Primer residue is your enemy. (The black residue on the sides of fired cases, plus the smoke and vapors from the shots you have fired.) Working on that basis, I managed to go from 0.96 to 0.55 in 6 months, and others have been able to achieve better reductions.

For now avoid all contact with lead:
shooting
reloading
sorting brass
soldering
non-drip candles
artist's paint.
The is an unproven hard rock miner's tale that dairy products can help.

Once you get your levels down to an acceptable level, you need to change how you do things with regards to shooting. When you shoot on an indoor range wear a P100 mask. Other people may get away without it, but you cannot. Also wear a hat and a shooting shirt that you take off before you leave the range (do not contaminate the passenger compartment of your vehicle). If contamination in your house is any sort of an issue then have separate footwear for the range to avoid cross contamination. Wash yourself before leaving the range. If you pick up brass wear disposable gloves.

When shooting on an outdoor range the only change I make is to not use the P100 mask.

Anytime you are reloading or handling brass wear disposable gloves.

If you tumble your brass add some used dryer sheets (Bounce or Downy) to the tumbler and throw these sheets away after each use. The sheets are black after each tumble which I suspect (but cannot prove) is primer residue. When your tumbling media starts to darken (primer residue) it is time to change the media.

Wash before eating when at a range or after reloading.
Click to expand...

Good advice here I worked at Cominco in Trail,BC for 5.5 years, you need to take proper steps to protect yourself. And milk does not help, what they found out was it drives it out of your blood into your bones.
 
I’ve been dealing with long term exposure to lead. It’s kicked the crap out of my system. My levels are lower then some of yours but it can affect people differently and who knows if it was higher at some point. 34.8 ug/l and .17umol/l

I will never take exposure lightly again and hope everyone stays cautious with lead.
 
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