I had myself checked for lead last week. I came in at a 17. Its time to reevaluate my reloading practices, and indoor shooting. I shoot indoors once a week during the winter months. Kind of sucks, i thought i was being more careful.
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Lead levels in my blood
- Thread starter leewongfei
- Start date
Some ideas:
I use gloves during all brass sorting, inspecting, sizing, and when I bullet seat, I use one gloved hand to put in the press, and the other (ungloved) to place the bullet. I wash thoroughly with the orange grit soap immediately afterward, and go up to my forearms. When I empty the tumbler I also use a respirator, and wash face, arms, etc.
Not sure what to do about indoor range issues. I carry those hand wipes in my range bag, and use them to get off a majority of gunk in case i accidentally touch my face.
Is it possible you are also getting some lead exposure from work? I deal with solder and circuit boards so I try to be careful there.
I use gloves during all brass sorting, inspecting, sizing, and when I bullet seat, I use one gloved hand to put in the press, and the other (ungloved) to place the bullet. I wash thoroughly with the orange grit soap immediately afterward, and go up to my forearms. When I empty the tumbler I also use a respirator, and wash face, arms, etc.
Not sure what to do about indoor range issues. I carry those hand wipes in my range bag, and use them to get off a majority of gunk in case i accidentally touch my face.
Is it possible you are also getting some lead exposure from work? I deal with solder and circuit boards so I try to be careful there.
Shooting indoors exposes you to high levels of lead styphenate from the priming compound. Bad stuff. I asked my doc to clock my lead levels once and she wanted to know why. I explained that I was a pistol shooter. She tried to assure me the was no reason to worry since she had cops as patients and there was never an issue with them. I explained that I shot more rounds in a typical week than they did in an average year.
boilermaker
NES Member
What made you decide to get checked for lead in the first place? Curiosity or were you not feeling well?
rep308
NES Member
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_lead_level
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 μg/dL or above is a cause for concern.
at 17 we have a winner, I hit 8 before I decided to get smart about prevention. All you others reading this add "lead level check" to your annual blood check at your physical, it doesn't cost me any extra
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 μg/dL or above is a cause for concern.
at 17 we have a winner, I hit 8 before I decided to get smart about prevention. All you others reading this add "lead level check" to your annual blood check at your physical, it doesn't cost me any extra
The reloading isn't the problem, shooting indoors is. Get away from whatever crappy indoor facility you're using and find a better one.
I did a ton of research on the whole lead thing years ago, and most of the stats I read showed that the lead levels among shooters was really only an issue for people who were instructors at indoor facilities or people who more or less hibernated at crappy indoor ranges in the winter. I would say at the drop of a hat that 75% of the indoor facilities in MA are woefully inadequate in terms of ventilation. Not a big deal for a one off match here or there but if you're hitting the range once a week you're going to want to use the best available facility.
Also, .22s are ****ing terrible for smoke/fumes. The bullets are often just plain lead and aren't even plated. A lot of the indoor poisonings I read about were all from hard core bullseye shooters running .22s and lead .45 SWC's. They go in the local shitty club range once or twice a week for a long time and bathe in the stuff and then wonder why they have lead issues.
-Mike
I haven't started reloading yet but I've been tumbling all of my brass and I haven't been wearing gloves when I separate and inspect the cases, I might start doing that to be safe. Also I do all of the tumbling and emptying outside my house. I haven't thought to use a respirator but I have one for work so it may something for me to consider.
So you use an ungloved hand to place the bullet in the case? Or did I misinterpret that? Just curious.
Another suggestion -- wear rubber gloves while cleaning guns. Any time you shoot, clean, or reload, carefully wash your hands and face prior to eating or drinking (not always easy when you are at a match, though).
Don't believe the "use cold water" when washing bushwa. Some people claim that "warm water will open your pores so you will absorb more lead." That's nonsense. Warm water doesn't open pores and lead absorption through your skin is low. Lead is far more easily absorbed through your lungs and through ingestion. Lead on your hands and face is most likely to get into your digestive track and you are more likely to wash thoroughly using warm water, rather than cold.
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I do, but I only reload plated bullets.
Don't believe the "use cold water" when washing bushwa. Some people claim that "warm water will open your pores so you will absorb more lead." That's nonsense. Warm water doesn't open pores and lead absorption through your skin is low. Lead is far more easily absorbed through your lungs and through ingestion. Lead on your hands and face is most likely to get into your digestive track and you are more likely to wash thoroughly using warm water, rather than cold.
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I do, but I only reload plated bullets.
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My Orthopedic Surgeon warned me about cleaning guns and told me to start wearing gloves when handling cleaning solvents. He said it gets absorbed thru your skin causing damage to nerves. He's a big skeet shooter, I also have to wear gloves reloading. He showed me some papers on gun solvent's causing carpal tunnel! Ouch, I guess its time to wear a cleaning suit.
It was general curiosity that caused me to ask. The Dr asked me why i wanted to have my lead levels checked and i told him i solder while doing stain glass as a hobby and was just curious(i dont actually stain glass, i just refuse to tell my dr about my real hobbies).
Wow, causing carpal tunnel huh. Even if there weren't any health effects from not wearing gloves when cleaning, I'd still wear them because my hands get nasty really quick when cleaning my AK or using those lead away cloths on my revolver. If I can keeps my hands clean and avoid needing to scrub my hands with a sponge after cleaning guns then I'll sure as hell do that. Seems like a no brainer to me.
Not good news, its to bad you dont have a history of test levels. In my dads last 5 years the dr mentioned his lead levels (13) He would tell them its been that high since he left the air force in 1972.
They would look into his history and say....ok.
I get blood test every 2 years for insurance lead has been below normal. I reload,smelt and cast. I have a test in august.
They would look into his history and say....ok.
I get blood test every 2 years for insurance lead has been below normal. I reload,smelt and cast. I have a test in august.
I also shoot indoors during the winter and decided to get my lead level checked. It was 21. I started wearing a mask when shooting indoors, and my levels came way down.
Here is the mask I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NDN29O/
Here is the mask I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NDN29O/
Great idea. I tell all of my new shooter friends to either shoot outdoors as much as possible and if you have to shoot indoors consider a respirator. As mike said earlier, I doubt most indoor ranges have very good ventilation systems. I know my club sure as hell doesn't.
Maybe I'm overly cautious as I deal with hazardous materials on a day to day basis for work and my company is big on health and safety and wearing the proper PPE.
The company I buy my steel targets from just posted this article about lead on their FB page the other day. They build shooting ranges around the country in addition to making targets.
http://www.actiontarget.com/beginners-guide-to-lead
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In my particular case it went down on its own. According to Wikipedia, chelation therapy is only used for acute heavy metal poisoning, so my guess is that it's only used for extremely elevated lead levels.
Correct. It is a dexterity issue with putting a bullet on the case to seat, or i would glove both hands. I have noticed that the thumb and index finger of my glove are yellow/brown after handling many cases, even if they shine coming out of the tumbler.
My respirator very similar to the one MLAboss posted, I got mine at McMaster-Carr, it was like 30 bucks. They are also great for fiberglass insulation, painting, anything. it vents one way so your safety glasses do not fog. It's too bulky to wear shooting, IMO, and I do not shoot indoors that much, but I am sure there are alternatives. It might be worth wearing one while shooting, or shoot outdoors till November and get tested again.
TY43215
NES Member
My levels were as high as 38. I took an all natural heavy metal cleanse and got them to 10 in 90 days and to 6 in 180 days. I also stopped shooting indoors. Here is the cleanse. It is basically chelating vitamines.
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/rene...W1L0CFQoYwwodrqMANg&gclsrc=aw.ds#.U0Wk0Fea_CF
Edit to add, when reloading U use Clear Shield II rather than gloves. Works great
http://www.compousa.com/eStore/mStore/show/showud4d.asp?Partno=30
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/rene...W1L0CFQoYwwodrqMANg&gclsrc=aw.ds#.U0Wk0Fea_CF
Edit to add, when reloading U use Clear Shield II rather than gloves. Works great
http://www.compousa.com/eStore/mStore/show/showud4d.asp?Partno=30
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I had my levels tested last year, told my DR I was a firearm enthusiast and was interested since I have small children in the house. I shoot once a week, primarily at Mass Rifle and my lead level was 2. I reload all my own ammo and don't wear gloves, but I don't shoot lead bullets, only plated ones. I also use the following wipes and soap after every range trip.
https://www.esca-tech.com/ProductDetail.php?category=1000&productnum=4222ES
Honestly, the inside range at Mass Rifle is the only one I feel comfortable shooting in.
Chris
https://www.esca-tech.com/ProductDetail.php?category=1000&productnum=4222ES
Honestly, the inside range at Mass Rifle is the only one I feel comfortable shooting in.
Chris
Just to let you guys know, the blood test only tests what's in your blood at that time.
Chelation will take it out of your bloodstream. But even though your level has gone down, doesn't mean the lead out of your system. Once it goes into your cells, it stays there forever. That's when the real damage occurs.
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Chelation will take it out of your bloodstream. But even though your level has gone down, doesn't mean the lead out of your system. Once it goes into your cells, it stays there forever. That's when the real damage occurs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's because lead isn't absorbed thru the skin like mercury is. You really need to ingest/inhale/inject it to get it into your body. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling food after handling lead and try not to shoot a lot in poorly ventilated areas unless you wear a mask. Don't grind up your bullets and snort them.
