Lead safety with infant

[BigMacMI]

Currently, I have my workshop in the basement. All of my cycling tools and spares, and my reloading stuff (dry tumble). I am not a SUPER high volume guy, but will probably reload 2-500 per month when I am shooting often (she shoots too).

I have begun keeping a pair of shoes at the entry to the room, always keep the door closed, but am concerned about lead contamination in the house. Baby currently isn't crawling, but will soon enough. We do have a living space (TV, couches etc) just outside the loading room. I have noticed walnut shells tracked into the main living space (before the shoe change option).

I always change shirt and wash with de-lead before being near baby...

Am thinking of building an insulated lean-to on the back of the garage... something like 10x20 (looking into building codes). Am in Michigan, so temperature swings will be 20-90* realistically throughout the year. I would build with a window for ventilation, and probably heat with propane flower heater in the winter.

Besides build cost, problems being in these types of temperature extremes? I am thinking more along the lines of metal expansion/contraction in a fairly tight-tolerance hobby.

Am I over thinking this? Over-protective parent?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Yes and yes, IMO.

 

[bearcreek]

Besides build cost, problems being in these types of temperature extremes? I am thinking more along the lines of metal expansion/contraction in a fairly tight-tolerance hobby.

Am I over thinking this? Over-protective parent?

Maybe a little over-protective. I think the biggest potential issue with an addition like what you propose would be dampness. You'll need to be very sure to keep it heated all the time in winter, not just when you're using the room.

 

[drband]

You know, switching to wet tumbling would be a lot cheaper than construction costs and would eliminate the dust issue. Common sense clean up after reloading like you already do would take care of the rest of the issue.

 

[Sam1911]

No reason not to be prudently careful about lead. I think the biggest issue would be tumbling which I'd maybe consider moving outside when you need to tumble and sift. Use good cleanliness/hygiene and changing clothes and shoes is a good idea if you've been doing lead-intensive stuff like that.

I once had a youngster that came up with elevated levels in a test. County folks came out and did a bunch of testing. Turns out it was her mom's car keys that she liked to play with! The reloading stuff in the basement and casting gear out in the garage didn't seem to factor in at all.

 

[Malamute]

Elsewhere this came up, it turned out there was lead tracked through the house to the second story on the guys shoes. That's only one aspect though, you can reduce the amount available to track or that can get on your clothes. Decapping primers (the dust from lead in the primers) and dry tumbling are the main culprits in producing lead in the reloading operation I believe.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I'd think a good exhaust fan would do a lot to decrease the possibility of contamination in the O.P.'s case. And probably the least expensive way to go also.

900F

 

[Sam1911]

Hmmm... it may. It really depends on what the actual contamination path is, though. If the hypothetical lead contamination is from airborne dust or vapor, then yes. If it's from skin contact, tracking on shoes, on clothing, then no.

At our range when there was a bit of a lead scare some years back, it was observed that the bullseye guys tended to bring in a plate of donuts and set it on the range bench and half of them smoked while in there, and so they were constantly putting their lead-covered hands on things they then put in their mouths.

I think there probably is some airborne exposure risk from dry tumbling dust which is why I suggested doing that outside. But decapping and loading would give you mostly contact risk as those don't put anything up in the air.

 

[Malamute]

Hmmm... it may. It really depends on what the actual contamination path is, though. If the hypothetical lead contamination is from airborne dust or vapor, then yes. If it's from skin contact, tracking on shoes, on clothing, then no.

I think there probably is some airborne exposure risk from dry tumbling dust which is why I suggested doing that outside. But decapping and loading would give you mostly contact risk as those don't put anything up in the air.

Yes, I believe the residue from primers from decapping can be large enough and heavy enough particles to simply fall to the ground. I got black flaky and fine chunky crud on the floor under my press and around the ram on the press from decapping residue.

 

[crankyoldlady]

I run a long extension cord and do all my tumbling outside behind the garage. I remove the tumbler lid.

 

[Malamute]

Ive been pretty impressed with folks reports on using wet tumbling. It can be very simple and do a very good job, with zero dust issues. One guy in particular made me somewhat envious, he was processing 5 gallon buckets of brass at a time, he used a small cement mixer for his wet tumbling.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

OK, I made a presumption. The O.P. has stated that his footwear in the reloading room is separate from his footwear outside of it, correct? The presumption was that he'd also be wearing something like surgeon's gloves when working in there. From his original post, I'd think it's a reasonable presumption. Therefore, just the addition of an exhaust fan would bring the risk of contamination down to levels most of us can live with. Or, go ahead & be O.C.D.

900F

 

[Hamish]

I faced the exact same issue, and probably took some precautions a bit too far, but two babies later there is no lead contamination outside my reloading room. Hard to say there is contamination inside the reloading room too, but there is a lot of lead!

Separate pair of shoes for the reloading room / range - check.
Placing used dryer sheets in with the media while dry tumbling - check. They come out black after tumbling.
Added wet tumbling - check. Best solution so far. Dirty water goes in utility sink. No dust.
Latex gloves while reloading, and doing any case prep - check.
Single-state press just to remove primers, which shoot down a tube directly into a sealed 2-liter bottle - check. Very little residue to clean up - just a bit on the press itself.
De-lead wipes - check.
Happy wife, happy life - check.

 

[hdwhit]

BigMacMI wrote: Lead safety with infant

How old is the infant?

Am in Michigan, so temperature swings will be 20-90* realistically throughout the year.

I live in North Texas. My reloading set-up and most of my inventory is in my garage. Temperature swings from the teens to the hundred and teens. I have powder and primers that date back to the early 1980's. With the exception of my IMR-4198 and Green Dot, none of them have suffered any notable degradation and I am still using them.

As far as thermal expansion is concerned, the reloading equipment and the components were probably made in a factory where the ambient temperature was 70 to 80. Assuming you're not going to be out in the garage when it is 20 degrees trying to reload, the temperature swings will only be on the order of 10 to 20 degrees and since both steel and brass expand and contract at comparable rates, it will not be an issue.

 

[Dog Soldier]

The real danger is lead oxide on your hands and cloths. Handling the child before washing your hands in cold water or changing cloths are a risk. I notice a post where car keys were the culprit? That is a new one?

 

[BigMacMI]

How old is the infant?

Currently 6w. So I have time before the crawling phase.

 

[Walkalong]

Tumble cases outside.

 

[hso]

Don't bring your spent cases in the living space or tumble in it and you won't have a problem as long as you're cleaning your cases before loading them and changing clothes and washing up. The rest of reloading isn't a problem if you're using manufactured bullets.