Handling Lead danger

[rfcbuf]

What are the real dangers from lead exposure and handling for "PRB" black powder shooters who may load and shoot 25 to 50 lead balls every week?


Does anyone know of someone who has suffered any health effects from lead handling or should we eliminate the possible dangers and just show up at the range like the "Lone Ranger" wearing a mask and gloves?

 

[rabjr]

Well the only ill effect I've seen on anyone after handling and using lead over the years, is Paul V does miss spell a lot of words :blah: ...other than that, I wouldn't worry to much about it.

 

[mazo kid]

Just wash your hands thoroughly after handling lead. I don't think vapors are harmful at the temps we use , that is, just above the melting point. Still, I use ventilation when casting just to be sure. I installed a garage sale range hood ($1.00) above my melting pot in a corner of the basement, venting it to the outside. When casting outdoors I stand upwind of the pot so dust, etc is carried away from me.

 

[mckutzy]

well as long as u are not actualy biting the bullet, you will be fine.

 

[bucktales]

I used to work with quite a bit of lead. When we used to get our blood tested and the number was above 50, my company pulled us off that type of work until the lead count went down to a safer level.
The only thing I noticed was loss of short term memory.
What was the question again?

Alright,
To be serious, Next time you get a physical with bloodwork, ask for a lead count test. Starting with that number, you can get checked once a year and monitor wether your lead count goes up or down.
Since I rarely work with lead now-a-days , even with shooting and fishing, my blood-lead count is significantly lower than the days I had a steady diet of ingested lead.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I don't make a habit of eating lead, with that said here is my opine, other's mileage may vary.

IMO. the greatest mishap can occur from the handling of dross generated from the melting of lead. It can contain particulate dust, I treat that with care and avoid breathing it in and wash my hands well afterwards.

One of the biggest fallacies is that lead vaporizes during normal casting temperature. Not going to happen, lead has to be heated much higher to achieve vaporization.




Democracy is the belief that the common man knows what he wants and deserves to get it good and hard.
H.L. Mencken

 

[paulvallandigham]

The hazards of lead in ADULTS is way overstated, and misunderstood.

The reason lead paint was banned, 50 years ago, was because parents of children living in poverty in slums, were apparently unable, and therefore, not expected to supervise their children to keep the kids from eating chips of paint off the wall, nor expected to actually Scrape loose paint off an dispose of it to prevent young infants from eating it. Good housekeeping was apparently a service the poor expected the Federal Government to provide to them.

Because infants are still forming their brains, elevated lead levels were found to appear in their brain, and contribute to retardation, and other nervous system problems. Instead of demanding that parents actually take care of their children, Lead was ordered removed from paints, instead. Lead abatement programs were implimented by the Federal government, through FHA, and HUD, to rid housing for the poor from lead based paint, at the expense of taxpayers.

In adults, lead levels can raise and lower- and lead doesn't seem to affect adults in a permanent way. In industries where lead can be a problem- indoor ranges are one close to our hearts-- levels are chaecked annually for employees or others that spend much time in the areas. When levels reach too high a percentage, the employee is required to be moved to another job until his lead levels come down. More and more ventilation and lead removal equipment is being required of lead using industries, including indoor ranges, which is why they cost so much to construct, and to maintain.The added ventilation and cleaning equipment has reduced the lead levels of people working with the lead.

The fumes you see coming off molten lead when casting are fairly mild, but if you don't breathe them in, they can't be a problem. You do need to wash carefully, and change clothing so that you don't transfer particles to other areas of your environment. If you are simply handling lead balls, or ingots, washing your hands off with soap and water is all that is generally needed to protect you from the lead.

Don't put your fingers in your mouth until you wash them.

Its better to wear gloves, and then wash the gloves when handling lead. However, you are going to handle lead balls with your fingers, when loading and shooting balls and conicals in your traditional guns, and you are not going to avoid the problem of getting some lead on your fingers and hands.

I encourage everyone to take a bottle of water, and soap, and some wash clothes, towels, or paper towels, to clean your hands and face up when you finish shooting. Keeping a damp rag near your range box so you can wipe off your hands, or your ramrod, or equipment.

 

[dodgecity]

I've been casting and shooting lead round ball since the early 1970's. I also cast and size lead alloy bullets for my revolvers and center fire rifles. I even have a mold for casting my own sinkers for fishing. I still use 50/50 solder, and I grew up in the era of lead based paint and leaded gasoline. I even played extensively with lead toy soldiers. In short, I've been exposed to a lot of lead in my life time. As has been mentioned, I don't put it in my mouth, I wash my hands, and I use adequate ventilation. The result is that I have no health problems from lead or anything else at this late stage of life. I have noticed, however, that I am thirty pounds heavier than I was in my prime. Could this be the result of lead accumulation?

 

[cowpoke1955]

WARNING: The State of California has determined that injury or death when may occur when handling lead as it comes out of the bore :rotf: .

 

[tg]

I have been handleing raw lead while casting and shooting round balls for nearly 40 years and I feel just fine....just fine....just fine, Have mentioned that I have been handleing raw lead while casting and shooting round balls for nearly 40 years and I feel......

 

[ohio ramrod]

I've been casting and handling lead since the middle sixties. While I switched from a gas stove to an electric pot twenty years ago to avoid over heating and possible fumes. I would say there is no danger to handling the round balls. But I would not recommend puting a few in your mouth for faster reloads. (Yes we used to do this quite often at stake shoots )Lead dooes not absorb readily through the skin, so just wash your hands well and continue to breath the black powder smoke.I honestly believe the danger from lead in drinking water is far greater than the danger from handling the balls as long as you use resonable caution.

 

[kevthebassman]

'Ole Andy Jackson walked around with so much lead in his body that he rattled like a bag of marbles. He lived to be a ripe old age.

I think that the dangers are greatly exaggerated. Use common sense; vent the fumes from casting, wash your hands, change your clothes.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Zonie aside, I don't know of any proven brain damage from handling or casting lead balls.

I remember cringing at one issue of Muzzleloader Mag where a fellow mentioned crushing coffee beans in the same deep spoon he used for casting lead in his trekking kit. THAT I would not recommend.

 

[BigL]

I bought some lead wire from a metal dealer some time ago. The wire was in a bundle and I pulled on some wires to get some out. My fingers tingled for at least 12 hours after, I always wear gloves now when handling lead. Since I am stuck with a lot of bad habits, some forgetfulness could come in handy.

 

[paulvallandigham]

It sounds like the wire was coated with some kind of acid. That is what would cause the tingling in your fingers, if you didn't wash your hands off.

I have handled lead since I was 7 or 8 years old, moving stuff for Dad when he reloaded. He lad collected lead and left it at his mother's home. He began moving if from her basement to our garage when I was very young, and we helped him carry the stuff from the car to the garage and stack it.He made sure we washed our hands thoroughly with soap and water afterwards, and that we didn't touch our eyes, mouths, or noses with our hand,( or our clothes) until we did wash our hands. The oxides are either very white, or very black.

If you spray the lead with WD40 before picking it up, it will stabilize a lot of the oxide dusts, so it doesn't "dust up", and get on your clothing and face. In storage, the WD 40 will dry out, and form a layer of congealed grease on the lead, inhibiting further oxidation.

It does stink- like any oil that is burned- when you melt the lead down, but you can do that initial melt outside so that the oil residue, as well as a lot of other impurities will be vented into the air.

 

[renovato]

You get lead on your skin when you handle the balls, but if you wash before you eat or smoke, you're good to go. There isn't much in the way of lead vaporization from muzzleloaders, especially from PRB. I always have handy wipes in my shooting bag. I wash up even before I drive home so I don't transfer lead to the steering wheel, etc.

 

[Musketeer]

I have noticed, however, that I am thirty pounds heavier than I was in my prime. Could this be the result of lead accumulation?

Absolutely! Funny, though, how all the lead seems to accumulate around the midsection, eh? :haha:

rfc, I can only reiterate what's been said. Use ventilation when casting, and wash your hands thoroughly after handling and you shouldn't have any troubles at all. Like so many other things these days, the subject of lead exposure has gone from common sense to near hysteria. Don't get caught up in it. Go out and shoot and have fun. :thumbsup: