the dangers of lead

[swathdiver]

You sure that lead tip is not really graphite?

Not sure, what did they make pencils out of in the 1970s? :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Thanks. Your experience is authentic enuf for me. M.D. does have another slant on the issue I will have to digest before his meaning is clear.
Neverthless, I am going to stick with my current safety measures and keep moisture away from my lead melting activities.
For the record, I only cast outside or with ventilation, fans, etc. and I wash my hands well and keep them away from my face, etc.

 

[Claude Mathis]

but this jerk keeps trying to convince her that lead absorbs threw the skin.

Can this guy read? :grin:

Lead can be absorbed into your body by inhalation (breathing) and ingestion (eating). Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin. When lead is scattered in the air as a dust, fume or mist it can be inhaled and absorbed through you lungs and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation of airborne lead is generally the most important source of occupational lead absorption. You can also absorb lead through your digestive system if lead gets into your mouth and is swallowed. If you handle food, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or make-up which have lead on them or handle them with hands contaminated with lead, this will contribute to ingestion.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10031&p_table=STANDARDS

 

[hawkeye2]

Graphite, usually with a clay binder. It's been in use since 1600 and there never was lead in a pencil. At one time it was thought graphite was a form of lead.

 

[matt denison]

When tempering springs, I routinely take the spring from the water quench and when still wet plunge it into molten lead to temper it. Never have an explosion of lead, but a lot of sizzling from the water as it evaporates.

That is extremely unsafe. MD gave an accurate description of what can happen. I've had it happen. There are enough risks in the world without asking for a disaster. Melted lead @ 800 deg. is third degree burns for sure. Not to mention the mess. I still have lead clinging to the wall under the porch all of the way up to and including the ceiling - over 8 feet up!! I don't know how you have gotten away with what you are doing.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Most "wives tales" have some actual basis in fact. One of the most common is "Acidic food cooked in a brass or copper container will make you sick, so be sure it is tinned on the inside". YET apple butter is very acidic and made in copper kettles...,

In fact heavily tarnished brass or copper has verdigris (it's the green "rust"), and this IS very toxic, and cooking acid foods in a heavily tarnished brass or copper container will remove any verdigris from the metal, and leave it in the food. :barf:

The repetition of the rule got blurred over time.

I suspect that at some time a pot of molten lead "popped" and threw lead around burning the user and perhaps bystanders. Maybe a piece of scrap lead pipe with a cap on one end was dropped into a large molten pot, and before the heat reached the interior of the cap it sank just enough below the surface of the molten lead that when the moisture turned to steam, it popped.
:idunno:
Maybe something in a handful of lead dropped into an already melted pot, caused the lead to erupt, and folks assumed it must have been water dropped into the molten liquid.
:idunno:

LD

 

[M. De Land]

I think what happened on my second incident was a bit of snow landing on the warm sprues I was collecting in a tin off to the side and melting.
It apparently doesn't take very much! Just wasn't paying enough attention to moisture control. MD

 

[Bill Hall]

Right, dumping wet scraps into the pot will cause an eruption, because lead is one of the few things that is heavy enough to penetrate the surface of the molten lead (I know that sounds funny, but it does make sense). And as M.D. has experienced, it doesn't take much moisture, maybe just a half of a snowflake.

It would appear that we got off topic from the original poster's request, but I think we can tie this all together. Misinformation, myths, and rumors can all be traced back to actual events, and as previously mentioned, they can take on a life of their own. The issue of the water/lead danger, just like the warning from the co-worker of Matt's mom, is based on old wives tales, not actual solid info. It's ok to be overly cautious when dealing with potentially hazardous material, but when caution turns to fear, over-reaction takes place and we get scenarios like we are seeing in California. Special interest groups will exploit our fears and ignorance to gain their personal desires through legislation. Remember the spotted owl debockle? But I digress :grin: .

There will always be that type of person who needs to pass on hearsay as soon as he hears it, it an attempt to look intelligent and authoritative. Myself, I tend to seek knowledge before I contribute to the rumor mill, only because I have looked foolish so many times after I have touted something based on other's so-called knowledge :redface: . Matt, do some research for your self, then tell your mom her friend is just a rumor monger. Knowledge is power. Bill

 

[jamesthomas]

As an aside about the lead, I had my doctor test me while I was in the hospital. It turns out I have a lead level of 8.7 Which ain't to bad from what I've read. I have probably either melted into ingots or cast in to round balls around 100lbs. of lead. But she wants me to quit casting for awhile. Which is fine cause I have around 900 .490's an 400 .390's. :grin: It will take me a good bit to go through them.

 

[Col. Batguano]

did you need to ask the doc to run a lead test on you? Extra charge? How much?

At my age I've never been tested as far as I know, and would sort of like to know, as, I've been a shooter and reloader almost all my life.

 

[Zonie]

Actually, over the years, I've about decided that having some lead in me isn't such a bad thing. :hmm:

It seems to keep me from overexerting myself.

Of course if I ever want to get ambitious I know just where to look for the lead.

As I was growing up and after I got married, for years my dad and then my wife have repeatidly told me,
"GET THE LEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND GET TO WORK!"

:grin:

 

[jamesthomas]

I don't know how much it will be, I think it's rather inexpensive. I just spent 10 days in the hospital. I had a viral infection of my frontal lobes in my brain. Just got home this Sat. They were drawing blood once a day anyway so I just kinda asked them to run the test just to make sure I was O.K. in that department. The doc said just as long as I quit for a while my levels will go down. It was'nt high enough to be in my bones which is when you start having problems. I would get tested if you have made a lot of ingots or cast a lot of conicals or rbs.

 

[Eljay]

Depends on your insurance, I'm sure, but the way mine works it's the same copay no matter how many tests they're running so I just piggyback it onto some other test. Also saves me a trip. I don't think it's that expensive though - they've never given me any guff about it.

 

[bpd303]

My wife is also a comedian, when I went in the hospital for a colonoscopie she says to the doc "while you're up there how about getting the lead out too".

 

[Oudoceus]

Two kind of people really bother me; those that go around looking for things to be offended over and those that go around looking for dangers, real and imagined, that those around them are exposing themselves to. Just be aware of dangers you expose yourself to take sensible precautions and live your life.

 

[fleener]

If my memory serves me correctly water expands around 1800 times from a liquid to a gas

Fleener

 

[matt denison]

"I suspect that at some time a pot of molten lead "popped"...."


Damned sure did. Right on my front porch, right in front of me and dangerously near my unsuspecting wife. Scared the wee out of both of us. The culprit was some kind of bug that had taken up residence in the flattened lead pipe that I was rendering down into ingots. It only takes a tiny bit of moisture to half empty a 20 lb pot of lead.

Now, you might get away with putting a wet spring on a pot of hot lead because it doesn't sink, it floats. The water will sputter and steam off almost immediately. But why take the chance.

Don't be complacent around molten lead. It is 800 degrees or hotter, near four times hotter than boiling water! It will burn through the skin on the back of your hand clean to the bone before you can say "oh Sh**!!" Then it solidifies and is stuck there, you can't wipe it off. I know more than I want to about it. And don't ask me where or how I got the experience.

 

[Bill Hall]

Don't be complacent around molten lead.

:thumbsup: Bill

 

[jamesthomas]

Well, after all this I finally found a scrap dealer that says he has some lead to sell, around 100lbs of lead or so at his place. While I'm not looking to cast it into ingots right off I'm going to go ahead an pick up about 30 or 40lbs, he wants $1.00 a lb. I already have 40lbs in ingots, but better to have it now, ya can't never tell when you will be able to find some again. Btw, I looked it up an in about 25 or 30 days the lead content on your blood will be reduced by half. So in about a month I'll get checked again an if it's down to 4.5 or so I'll do some ingot making. :thumbsup:

 

[AZbpBurner]

The easily offended are often the most gullible, too. One particular know-it-all lady @ work delights in correcting people over mostly imaginable situations.

Yesterday she told me to not stand so close to the microwave oven while it was running. When I asked her "why", she told me that it could make me sterile.

I told her that it doesn't matter, since I'm almost 61 years old & don't really care for my 23 year old GF to get pregnant .. so how much longer do I have to stand here to do the trick?

Found that when I once told her to "STFU & keep outta my sight", that incantation only worked for a day or 2 & she was right there talking to me again ...