denton wrote:
...most people think nothing of having silver-mercury amalgam fillings in their teeth.
As noted, above, I have 24 of them.
I also have no symptoms of mercury poisoning. And I have been tested.
denton wrote:
...most people think nothing of having silver-mercury amalgam fillings in their teeth.
Most people are afraid of something, and if lead exposure is what scares you, then by all means take the steps that you feel will make you feel better.
Then there are a few that seem to live in absolute fear of lead and don't consider any precaution an adequate defense against poisoning.
I mean an irrational obsession over a perceived threat or risk.If by "scared" and "absolute fear," you mean concerned enough to act
However where most of us run into trouble is going to be secondary contamination from less then perfect lead hygiene. Who here changes clothes and showers before eating after they've been around gunfire every time? This is a big way to introduce lead into the body via ingestion. Who here changes clothes and showers before moving into a lead free environment? Now you create secondary contamination, it is pretty much impossible not to. So for those who have young children simply wearing the same clothes home from the range can introduce a lead hazard to them.
I do believe that airborne lead from primers and erosion of bullet bases and bearing surfaces presents an inhalation risk, particularly within indoor ranges, but even outdoors. Exposed lead bullets, and soil contaminated with lead that has oxidized or dissolved also becomes a risk for ingestion.
How responsive are ranges when they may be asked about their AQ results? Do these places get periodically checked?
When I shoot the .22's I wear nitrile gloves for handling/loadng them.
get some goggles so the lead doesn't get in the eyes. wear ear muffs instead of plugs so the lead won't get in the ears. might as well get some knee pads so the knees don't get scratched. elbow pads to protect from damage, a wrap around helmet should be worn just so the scope doesn't cut your eye. and steel toe shoes just because something might happen.
sjws (social justice warriors) don't like it when i inject a bit of logic and common sense into their narrative. the result is similar to injecting a bit of penicillin into an infection.I prefer a full Haz Mat suit with a Scott Air-Pak.
sorry to hear that, schwing. glad your vitamin c therapy worked for you. i hope your return here is permanent.I think there are a lot of flippant attitudes about lead exposure in the shooting community. People think that, because they have never had a problem, that no one else will. If they do, they almost instantly believe that the other folks must be practicing poor lead hygiene etc. The bottom line is that everyone's body chemistry is a little different. I seriously regret not realizing this sooner.
There are a lot of anecdotal points of view here. Let me toss one more into the mix. When I first started casting and shooting lead back around 2010, I was so careful that I was getting mocked. I wore a lead/asbestos mask, safety goggles, a hat, gloves and a leather apron. I didn't eat or drink while working with or shooting lead and I treated the lead like toxic material. I never shoot in indoor ranges and I had no other exposure to lead.
A couple of buddies ate, drank, smoked and didn't wear any kind of protective gear of any kind while casting and shooting. We did this together so they were exposed to the exact same environment that I was. After a few months, I had a doc appointment and had him test my lead level just to be sure. I was at 34! Over the next few weeks, I was taking spit tests (not as accurate but can be taken at home). At one point, my lead levels rose all of the way up to 84 before beginning to drop. Back then, I didn't even believe the spit tests because I didn't see how my lead levels could still be rising without exposure. A little research explains that. I won't go into detail here but blood lead levels can bounce all over the place because the body stores the lead in everything from bone to soft tissue. Chelation therapy was discussed but I opted out. I kind of wish I hadn't. I went through a few weeks of being severely dizzy, nauseated and exhausted.
My friends all had their lead checked as well over the next few weeks and were essentially zero. My doc has no idea why I seem to be a lead magnet. There really have not been any studies about this. All I know is that we were exposed to the same lead. I wore protection and they didn't but I still absorbed more than them.
One of the reasons I have not been here at THR as much is because I have had to cut back on my shooting. Instead of going 2-3 times per week, I have limited myself to once every few weeks or so. I still shoot the lead bullets I have already cast but very rarely and only if there is a breeze that isn't blowing it back in my face. I keep my lead and casting gear in case of a SHTF scenario but I never plan on casting again unless it is absolutely necessary.
I have managed to get my lead back down under 15 finally but the damage has been done so to speak. One thing I can really vouch for is vitamin c. I could not seem to get out of the 20's until I started taking it every day. Within a month I went from 27 to the mid teens.
My kidney function (GFR) has dropped from over 100 to 63 and my liver function was seriously compromised for about a year. Probably TMI but my testosterone levels also dropped severely. My liver function is slowly coming back but I will never get my kidney function back and I will be on testosterone replacement therapy for the rest of my life.
All of these problems are "Possible" side effects of lead exposure. I don't drink, smoke or have any other habits that would lead to kidney or liver problems. Whether my lead exposure caused them or not, I will never know for sure but I do know this: Some people really need to limit their lead exposure. Just because another guy can just wash his hands and be fine, doesn't mean that you can get away with that.
I don't think the "Experts" know didley about what lead really does to the human body and they really don't know why some people can almost get away with a lead diet while others absorb lead just by thinking about it. Just don't take it too lightly. Contrary to what the shooting community believes in general, lead is toxic.
Do these places get periodically checked?