Lead poisoning

[sal678]

Lead poisoning is a serious concern when shooting. Lead dust and flakes are scattered all over, to be inhaled or deposited on clothing and shoes. What is the best pellet trap to use to minimize contact with lead and facillitate disposing of it without danger ? Is there anyway to avoid lead on fingers when handeling pellets besides the use of rubber gloves ? Thank you for a reply.

[Tess]

[quote="sal678"]Lead poisoning is a serious concern when shooting. Lead dust and flakes are scattered all over..... Is there anyway to avoid lead on fingers when handeling pellets besides the use of rubber gloves ? quote]

If you are going into the sport being that paranoid, you might be happier doing something else.

[sal678]

Anyone who thinks I'm paranoid should read this article RISKS OF LEAD POISONING IN FIREARMS INSTRUCTORS AND THEIR STUDENTS at
http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/msds/lead.html Read this and get back to me Tess !

[Guest]

I think you should take Tess's advice.
If you think you need to wear rubber gloves to load the weapon, take up a safer sport like dominoes.

[LeadVictim]

why are you being so offensive? It was a simple and plausible question which i was wondering about myself in the past. Why you two people get so rude is a mystery to me. You'd better try to be a bit contructive imho. Being aware of such risks is not paranoid, i rather call your attitude "naive" if you refuse to see there are certain risks to having constant contact to lead.

[Bruce F]

I have been pistol shooting for about 18 years - averaging around 400-500 rounds per week. (Mostly .22 out of a semi auto rapid fire gun, ported barrel and the like...) I had a simple blood test done about 3 months ago purely out of interest when talking to my doctor, and my 'lead level' was below average. (I can't remember the units but normal was between 5 and 10, my reading was 3.5) OK, my shooting has all been on 'open' ranges, (covered bays but outdoor targets) and I have not spent hours moulding projectiles or such like; but I think that basic hygene (washing hands before eating to reduce the chance of lead intake) and a simple blood test will put your mind at ease.

[Benonymous]

I think the risks are low if you take the time to wash your hands after handling the pellets. As for breathing in dust etc, once again, the risks are low. There wouldn't be significant concerntrations in the air from a few pellets impacting a back board. I guess to answer your question, the best type of back board would be one that didn't encourage the pellet to fragment. A material like Canite, made from sugarcane fiber, would absorb the impact and trap the pellet. However it would chop out and need to be replaced quite often I would think. If you want to really worry about lead, consider this, Leaded gasoline contained a substance called TEL. This is Tetra Ethyl Lead, one of the most poisonous substances ever made,. You and I and millions of other people breathed this in routinely anytime we were around a running motor vehicle ie; almost all the time. Anyway, like I said, just wash your hands. I work with lead constantly in solder and that's what I do.

[Guest]

> Lead poisoning is a serious concern when shooting. Lead dust
> and flakes are scattered all over, to be inhaled or deposited
> on clothing and shoes. ....
> http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/msds/lead.html
> Is there anyway to avoid lead on
> fingers when handeling pellets besides the use of rubber gloves ?

I've been a shooter since the last draft. In that time, the only incidence of lead in my blood occurred when I took a part time job maintaining target systems in an indoor range. The job involved climbing around machinery coated with accumulated dust. I had a face mask, but no moon suit.

OSHA is pretty strict with indoor gun ranges these days. It is common that they be equipped with functional HEPA ventilation systems, and they are monitored. As a shooter, use a little hygiene common sense. Whether you need to go to the extremes mentioned in the article, or not, is debatable. IMO, shooting a firearm at a HEPA range should not require rubber gloves and a mask.

Airguns don't vaporize the back of the pellet like burning gas does a firearm bullet, so there is little chance of airborne particulates. I suppose some lead is disbursed from the pellet scrubbing the bore, but whether it is a serious amount of contamination is again debatable. Fingers will accumulate lead from handling pellets, so wash.


> What is the best pellet trap to use to minimize contact with
> lead and facillitate disposing of it without danger ?

A paper box containing newspaper that can be bagged and dumped. Although, you'll probably lose sleep worrying about those spent pellets ending up in a landfill. A Duxseal or steel plate trap will require that you get your hands dirty occasionally.

I rigged up a chute from downspout tubing that leads from a steel plate trap into an empty coffee can. After a long while the can gets full and replaced. Spent lead can be given to a recycle center, or sold at a metals yard.

[Bob LeDoux]

Read Dr. Joe Matusic's advise to airgun users at

http://babymd.net/aa.htm

[mikeschroeder]

Is there anyway to avoid lead on fingers when handeling pellets besides the use of rubber gloves ? Thank you for a reply.

Hi

I'm at work away from Rule books, but isn't the use of gloves forbidden in some Air Rifle and Air Pistol rulebooks? Wash your hands. One of our coaches DID get a high lead level. He was practicing bullseye several days a week I think, and probably drinking a lot of water or pop while shooting.

Mike
Wichita KS

[cqbarms]

Simple:

Use a backstop that contains duct seal or an equivilent.
Don't touch your face or what have you with your "pellet hand" while shooting
Wash your hands after shooting.
Don't eat the pellets.

[kleefurd]

I have designed my own pellet trap where the last layer is putty that traps ANYTHING that fragments. Its like a 2" layer of "Blu-tack" that is slightly adhesive and any fragments of lead will be stuck there... I will dispose of everything at one go at my regular recycling plant and the folks there will simply take the whole sheet of putty and remove the lead from the putty and recycle everything.

As long as one watches your own personal hygiene, there is really nothing to be worried about.

As mentioned in the post above, the amount of crap we breathe in everyday living in the city kills us much faster than anything else...

... its good to be careful, but silly to be paranoid.

[SteveT]

I guess I am unlucky, but I have high blood lead level. I believe most of it came from shooting firearms indoors, but I have many possible sources. Several other local shooters also have high lead levels. You are not being paranoid to worry about lead, especially if you have children. I am amazed at the stupidity of some people. Lead is a real concern but it is easily controlled. Why are simple questions and reasonable precautions met with violent opposition?

First of all, get your blood lead level checked. It is an inexpensive test. Repeat the test every 3 months if it is high or every 6-12 months if it is normal.

Wash your hands after every exposure to lead. I use D-Lead (http://www.esca-tech.com//DLDrywet.htm) which is supposed to remove heavy metals from the skin. I still wash with soap and water after using D-Lead.

There are some hand lotions that act as a barrier in the skin. I use it when I am reloading, but I don't like the feel when I am shooting as it makes the skin more slippery. I use Clear Shield (http://eguns.com/ClearShield/clearshield.html) but I have seen several other brands as well.

When I shoot indoors I wear a face mask. It needs to be N-100 or P-100 rated. I use the 3M #8233. It is adjustable and seems to work pretty well. They are available from safety supply houses locally and on the web. Do a web search and you will find lots. A respirator will work better and may be more comfortable, just make sure it takes N-100 cartridges.

Finally, if you have young children, don't expose them. Children are more sensitive to lead than adults because it interferes with the development of the nervous system. There is a direct relationship between lead and learning disabilities. If you are only shooting airguns it is probably not a big deal. But, if you shoot firearms at indoor ranges that are not cleaned regularly, you have lead on your shoes and possibly clothes. Take them off and put them in a bag when you come home. Don't track it all over the house.

I do not feel that lead exposure is a reason to avoid shooting any more than hearing loss is. Lead is a concern, but it is easily addressed. All of the shooters I know that have high blood levels have made simple changes and the lead levels are coming down. It is not paranoia, it is reasonable precautions.

[Jay V]

(SNIP)As long as one watches your own personal hygiene, there is really nothing to be worried about. (SNIP)

I would say for the most part that is true.

I have had high lead levels in the past, mostly traced to cleaning up the range. Sweeping a firearms range is just about the most contact you can get. There is lead in the primers, and it mixes with the unburned powder and becomes airborne when you sweep. A mask rated for lead is a minimal requirement, a HEPA vac is a better way to clean the range. A decent firearms range should have enough airflow heading down-range to keep the majority of the smoke from coming back to the shooter. If not, you will be picking up the lead residue from the primers same as sweeping the floor. Some people choose to use use a 3M mask rated for lead any time they are on the line.

Airgun ranges don't have the same issues, but you do need to wash your hands after loading pellets.

Anytime you shoot on a firearms range, especially 3P (even air), you need to clean the lead residue from the prone mats. We ask our shooters not to walk on their mats to keep the amount to a minimum. Pants, kneeling rolls, and especially shoes will also pick up lead to a certain extent from the floor in a firearms range.


Jay V
IL

[Guest]

Typical internet discussion. Poster reacts to alarmist article in paranoid manner and gets slammed. Like minded defenders jump in with "stupid" and "violent opposition" remarks. sal678 could be a troll, but I suspect he is just very naive. A little cognitive thinking on his part could have saved a lot of bandwidth.

[Guest]

I have kept track of my blood lead levels for several years, and have founfd that taking 1000mg of vitamin C on a daily basis reduces the levels.

I spend 2 to 2 1/2 hours a night (three night sper wek plus and occasional match) in our indoor range.

Prior to imporving the air system I went to 55 (from 22) during the Sept to April shooting season.

I began chelation with Vitamin C, and dropped back to the lower 20s by fall.

Since that tiem we've imporved the air handling, and I run from low 20s to low 40s as the season progresses.

It is especially important for kids to start on the vitamin c, as their max levels are only 15 micrograms per deciliter of blood before medical intervention is suggested (adult alll the way up to 60).

Following are dome sites with more info (or just Google vitamin C and lead):

http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/69f56.htm

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/v ... rintc.html

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/cont ... .lead.html

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/ ... p1119.html

[Pat McCoy]

Sorry, I forgot to log on on the previous post about my lead levels.

Pat McCoy

[cqbarms]

Air pistol and rifle or are you shooting in a combined range? and have smallbore?

Sorry, I forgot to log on on the previous post about my lead levels.

Pat McCoy

[Pat McCoy]

We shoot primarily smallbore rifle and pistol, however we do shoot some air rifle and will be starting an air pistol progrma in the Fall.

[cqbarms]

Smallbore is a significatly larger problem. I was thinking, jeeez if his lead count went up that much with just airgun he's in BIG trouble.

A range by use had to go to ONLY airgun as they did not have the air scavange system needed.

We shoot primarily smallbore rifle and pistol, however we do shoot some air rifle and will be starting an air pistol progrma in the Fall.