Handling lead, dangerous?

[Deadeye]

I've been casting bullets and handling lead almost
daily for about 60 yrs. I've cast millions of bullets. I also handle pure lead balls and patches that I put in my mouth to spit patch for about 35 yrs. 2 weeks ago my Dr. suggested that I have my blood checked for lead. I did and it was normal. Not saying it's not dangerous, just saying that in my case it wasn't. My thinking is that it's not as bad as some would have us believe.

 

It ain't. It's all political. No waterfowling with lead shot means less hunting. The movie stars have to scare the heck out of everybody about something all the time to make themselves fell better about themselves it seems. :shake:

 

[musketman]

Not saying it's not dangerous, just saying that in my case it wasn't. My thinking is that it's not as bad as some would have us believe.

It could effect people differently, some could be immune while others have a more volatile reaction to it...

It can't be all that bad, the Civil War surgeons gave their patients a lead bullet to bite while they sawed off their arm or leg... :hmm:

 

[Bountyhunter]

I got a wild hair a while back and was pondering on the use of muzzleloaders in a survival situation, because powder could either be accumulated or made, flint is laying on the ground and can be knapped, and lead could be had by salvaging it from old batteries. It seemed like such a good solution to a what if situation.

A few days later, it occured to me that I was not hearing anyone mention salvaging battery lead. That seemed strange, as there is so much of it around, so I began researching.

Battery lead contains all sorts of bad stuff that people are not supposed to be around. Heating it makes it worse. Strontium is one that I seem to recall. Arsneic is another. So much for that, so if anyone talks about salvaging lead from batteries, tell them not to do it. That lead will poison you for sure.

 

[Old Ironsights]

Lead is one of those cumulative "genetic" toxins. You have to ingest a bunch of it over time. Even then, it is most likely to mess up your kids. (The Lead Paint Chip issue involves much more than just the lead.)

One of the reasons for the intellectual decline of Rome was the cumulative effect of using Lead for cooking, water transportation, makeup and as a sweetner (lead azide). Successive generations were Lead Stupid.

But still, I occasionally get lead water pipes to melt down into RB from time to time, and almost any house built before (and some after) 1960 used lead extensively in waterpipe soldier joints.

 

[jtmattison]

Battery lead contains all sorts of bad stuff that people are not supposed to be around. Heating it makes it worse. Strontium is one that I seem to recall. Arsneic is another. So much for that, so if anyone talks about salvaging lead from batteries, tell them not to do it. That lead will poison you for sure.

There's a few folks on here who use battery lead for muzzleloading.
I never thought it was a good idea. Thanks for doing the research.

HD

 

[Bountyhunter]

I wish that I had saved the stuff I read, but it also said that because of some of the things in the battery lead to make it reactive or conductive or whatever, that whatever that stuff was would cause it to be not the best for casting bullets.

Antimony
Calcium
Cadmium
Copper
Strontium
and possibly Arsenic

This is what I found. I had put a post in a different forum some time ago, I went back and copied this from it. There are several articles on the web that can be found if you go looking for them. The bottom line is that as obviously available as it appears, it just isnt safe.


B

 

[J.D.]

My one attempt at recyling lead from car batteries was waaaaayyyy to much trouble for the amount of lead recovered.

It's easier to scrounge hard lead from the burm on the pistol range and swap that for pure lead. I even use the hard ATM, (anything that melts) in smoothbores. The balls come out of the mould a coupla thousandths larger, and a few grains lighter, but they shoot just as well as pure lead.
J.D.

 

[dkloos]

I've never casted my own bullets, but would love to try it. How is this done safely?

 

[gmww]

Hiya Cooner. I have to disagree on the waterfowl aspect. I love to hunt waterfowl. The problem we are having in my part of Wa. are the Trumpeter Swans are dying near my county each year.

As it turns out, they are ingesting lead pellets. This was confirmed with each of the birds being autopsied. No one is sure where the lead pellets are coming from as it has been banned. However, the birds that they find all have the pellets.

Their used to be an article on the Washington Fish and Wildlife web page about this problem. Haven't looked recently.

I sure miss hunting with lead for waterfowl.

 

[CrackStock]

I am not a doctor and did not play one on TV. :grin:

Lead can be hazardous stuff as the Romans found out.

I have a friend who had to undergo a lot of chelation treatments to remove lead from his blood thanks to contamination from work that he had been doing or due to lead solder in his household plumbing. (Oddly, the chelation helped him with an artery/heart problem!)

However, people can use a few simple precautions:

Do not eat, drink or smoke while working with lead. Ingestion of lead particles via a carrying substance is a good way to get it into your blood stream. Particularly acidic foods or drinks such as vegetables, fruit juices or tea will carry lead into the blood stream when it might otherwise pass through.

Wash hands carefully and wash clothes separately after working and always before eating.

Avoid breathing lead dust such a might result from using a power saw to cut large chunks of lead into small ones for your pot/furnace.

Try to have a fan blow the fumes from your pot/furnace away from your face.

Use a mask if handling a lot of lead dust.

I have cast a lot of balls and handled a lot of ammo and have no problem with lead in my blood. I get tested every year by my employer.

I see someone asking about using lead from batteries. Most of that "lead" is not pure and has other metals added to achieve a number of results. I have been advised that these other metals are dangerous when heated. Cadmium is one that I understand is very dangerous. I prefer to use only known pure lead.

I get my lead from an isotope company which sells the used lead containers cheaply.

CS

 

[robinghewitt]

the Trumpeter Swans are dying near my county each year. As it turns out, they are ingesting lead pellets.

Lead tends to stay in the bird's crop rather than whizz through and out the other end.

When I was a boy people were more afraid of cutting themselves on lead than eating it. I saw a workman's hand after he'd cut himself installing lead flashing on our roof. He was keeping injuries wrapped in a rag that would send modern folk screaming for emergency medical attention. The cuts looked very painful, swollen, white and open.

 

[Slake]

I think it's over hype...a politcally correct crock if you will....many years ago we use to bite down on split shot with our teeth, my toothpaste came in a lead tube, I've been playing with lead bullets for many many years. Lead based paint was good stuff. I worked in a gas station that sold leaded gasoline and I'm not sick or crazed........Well, to most I'm not..I should go get tested but I hate to spend the $ for what I think is a crock
Seems like everything is worse for ya these days
When I grew up bacon and eggs were good for ya, then they were not, there they were, then they were not now I think they are good again
I know of one thing that's worse for ya these days, it's the media

 

[Ridge]

I've never used battery lead to cast balls, but I have used battery posts. You know, the end of the terminal that you can buy at the parts store...

Wonder if that's dangerous?

 

[Blivetmaker]

The problem with lead is that it doesn't go away. Skeet/trap ranges for example. It's cumulative but your body excretes it with time. If you outrun your ability to rid yourself of lead you lose. My grandfather worked in a battery factory in Hamburg PA for decades. His overalls were eaten through from the acid. I don't want to think about the lead levels in that place! He died of Parkinsons disease. The anti-gun media is climbing on the bandwagon with the lead issue and blowing some things out of proportion but we owe it to ourselves to handle and see to the proper disposal of the stuff in a responsible manner. The technical term for the skimmings from the top of the pot is "dross". Don't get that stuff wet in an enclosed space as stibine or arsine gas can under the right circumstances be produced and liver and kidneys don't like either. :nono:

 

I haven't hunted waterfowl since they went to using modern substitutes for the old lead shot. I refuse to use that manure in my ML guns, or steel shot either. If I get attacked by a goose on the river he's dead meat. Self defense!

 

[mbw907]

The lead issue is an interesting one and also a highly debated issue. I have heard claims of what it can do to drinking water and our lakes and streams. Several years ago I became interested in gold prospecting here on the east coast and became very active in dredging and panning. I know that a lot of you know where this is going from your own experiences. As I panned, I realized that no matter what creek or stream that I was in, I found lead. I built a 2" dredge and found lots of birdshot ,bullets, plates from old car batteries, ect. In fact, if I had found half as much gold as I had lead, I would have been able to retire early. I have talked to other prospectors all over the nation and they all find the same in their areas. So to all the folks who try to scare us into a lead frenzy, I say the lead is already out there in great abundance. Not trying to downsize the issue because it probably is dangerous. but it is everywhere and you can't really avoid it totally.Incidentally, I saved all the lead that I recovered and cast it into roundballs.

 

[WRussell]

Just watch out for the white powder.

I worked for nuclear physicists for a lot of years, and stacking lead bricks for shielding was a regular chore. The fizzy-cists said to watch for white powder on lead, which is an oxide and can get airborne easily, which is when it becomes a problem. Breathe that stuff into your lungs and you're upping the level of lead in your blood in the most efficient way.

I've found that I can really tell when I'm breathing lead dust. It's not really a smell, more of a taste in the nose. Your mileage may vary.

Nowadays the evironmental safety folks have the raw lead handling area cordoned off, and all lead that gets out of the "safe" area is wrapped in vinyl tape or some such so the surface is not exposed.

So if you see a white powder on lead, squirt it with oil or wax it or something so the powder doesn't get airborne. The rest of the warnings are akin to "do not put the TV in the tub with you".

 

[Gary]

I thought heavy metals were your friends. Wear a mask, rinse off your shoes before entering the house or your car (so you don't track in around) and wash your hands and face before you eat, drink or smoke.

 

[sidelock]

Lead sure is pison. I seen a couple hundred deers,several elks,some bears,and bout some thousands small critters cave in tu lead over thu last 73 yers. But I'm still kickin an shootin about 2000 shoots a yer.It aint hurt me I guess. But it might git me som[url] day.In[/url] the mean time I'll keep castin an shootin. Your results may be different!!!!! (hows as that fer PC---- { that is to say politically correct} ) :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: