When I was a kid (5-6) my dad use to melt lead on the kitchen stove for bullets. He did that for years. He's now 76 and in good health. None of our family has had any adverse effects because of it.
My dad used to eat the shot in the birds he hunted. He lived to be close to 100.
I don't get what the deal with the lead is, are we overreacting? In the past I tried to play it safe for the kids' sake and moved in the garage. Right or wrong, I did what I thought was best for them.
Lead powder, or lead oxide is what's bad. In "solid" form it's mostly harmless. Your body won't digest it so it just passes through.
However, we had some goats that got lead poisoning. VERY unpleasant way to go! They will nibble the dirt, especially as kids; and for a while we penned them up in an old tractor shed. This shed had been around for 50+ years; and apparently the lead from old leaded gasoline will stay in the soil for ages; just nibbling the dirt was enough to kill them. Bad stuff.
My understanding is that if you are dealing with lead, wash your hands with *cold* water and soap thoroughly before going on with life, especially eating. Cold water is important, as hot water opens the pores up more in your skin, making it ever so slightly more likely you could absorb any of the dust on your fingers.
I don't take lead poisoning lightly, but I don't lose sleep over it either.
However, we had some goats that got lead poisoning. VERY unpleasant way to go! They will nibble the dirt, especially as kids; and for a while we penned them up in an old tractor shed. This shed had been around for 50+ years; and apparently the lead from old leaded gasoline will stay in the soil for ages; just nibbling the dirt was enough to kill them. Bad stuff.
My understanding is that if you are dealing with lead, wash your hands with *cold* water and soap thoroughly before going on with life, especially eating. Cold water is important, as hot water opens the pores up more in your skin, making it ever so slightly more likely you could absorb any of the dust on your fingers.
I don't take lead poisoning lightly, but I don't lose sleep over it either.
I think it needs to be said that lead exposure, without proper safety precautions can be dangerous. However, it takes a large amount of PROLONGED lead exposure to cause problems.
I'm pretty sure I have more lead exposure than many on this site. I checked my lead levels, for the first time, after almost two years of owning and operating a lead based business. I had not been using certain needed safety precautions and my levels were pretty high. Since, I have changed my diet and included several herbs and vitamins. We have also instituted some safety precautions in the shop. As a result, my lead levels have dropped TREMENDOUSLY! I am now within the OSHA accepted level of lead for a person working in a lead based industry.
Merely reloading indoors or shooting lead bullets will not cause a significant or dangerous increase in lead levels. I use my father as an example. He works in the shop 3-4 days a week. His lead levels were below the maximum for people NOT working in a lead based industry. His were actually lower than the average person that has occasional contact with lead based products.
All this being said, I reload indoors and store my components indoors. I have a dedicated room in my home. I live by myself and have no small children in the home. I would probably consider moving my reloading equipment to the garage IF I had small children running around as they are much more sensitive to lead exposure.
Mitch,
Very good information for those concerned about lead exposure. I have been to your shop and if you and your dad don't have problems, I would sure think that those of us who reload indoors/shoot lead bullets, etc would probably not have issues. Thanks for the info...
No prob at all. I think most people just regurgitate what they read on the internet without any personal experience or factual basis. I felt it was important to share my experience. 0-10 is considered acceptable for the average person NOT working in a lead based industry. Dad was within this range.
It took almost two full years for my lead levels to get as high as they were. It took less than four months of proper diet, herbs/vitamins and some safety precautions to get them to acceptable levels. 11-40 is acceptable, by OSHA standards, for people working within a lead based industry. I am now in this range and my levels continue to drop. I currently test for lead level on a monthly basis and am shooting to keep mine around 20.
A little common sense regarding lead exposure goes a long way. I've reloaded and fired many 100,000's of thousands of lead bullets. Who knows how many .22LR's I've shot. I'm not one bit concerned about reloading and shooting good lead bullets, like J & K's.
Airborne lead is one issue. I avoid poorly ventilated indoor ranges. In the outside air, it is a very minor issue.
Lead contamination from ingesting lead gets ignored by some. After reloading or even cleaning guns (lead bullets or not) it is essential to aggressively scrub your hands with a strong cleaner (I prefer something with pumice) before eating, drinking or other activities.
My reloading set-up is in a back bedroom used for nothing else. I do keep it clean and the youngsters out of it. Someday I'll replace the carpet with a hard surface floor.
Be careful with spent primers; most contain lead. Avoid stirring up dust from them in handling.
Melting lead for home reloading is an activity best done outdoors, in the open air. Commercial reloaders I have known have gotten sick from melting in the absence of really good ventilation.
Airborne lead is one issue. I avoid poorly ventilated indoor ranges. In the outside air, it is a very minor issue.
Lead contamination from ingesting lead gets ignored by some. After reloading or even cleaning guns (lead bullets or not) it is essential to aggressively scrub your hands with a strong cleaner (I prefer something with pumice) before eating, drinking or other activities.
My reloading set-up is in a back bedroom used for nothing else. I do keep it clean and the youngsters out of it. Someday I'll replace the carpet with a hard surface floor.
Be careful with spent primers; most contain lead. Avoid stirring up dust from them in handling.
Melting lead for home reloading is an activity best done outdoors, in the open air. Commercial reloaders I have known have gotten sick from melting in the absence of really good ventilation.
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