Lead Poisoning

[dodgyrog]

I just got my annual lead test results back. The result was reduced this year due to lack of shooting.
People consider the lead casting activity to cause lead poisoning but I am of the opinion it is the Lead Styphnate in the primers that causes the problem for me. Poor ventillation in indoor ranges doesn't help.
Who else on here gets their blood lead lead checked regularly?

[Jorden]

Got my blood tested at the doc`s last year after a slight struggle, no lead found after 40 years of shooting , casting and reloading, still think it is a good thing to get tested though, I agree with you, lead from primers especially on indoor ranges is biggest source for us.

[dromia]

No need to worry about it in the future as lead is going to be banned to save us all.

[PeterN]

I have never had a lead test. I presume you get one through your GP? With all the stuff going on about lead, I have thought about getting a test to see if I have any in me after sixty years or so of shooting guns. I know the house I grew up in had lead water pipes so all the water I drank growing up was in contact with lead. I also drank milk straight from the cows, just cooled, no pasteurized milk for us. It seems unpasteurized milk will kill you these days or make you ill at best. I also went through the 1962/3 winter wearing shorts. I wonder how we survived.
Regards
Peter.

[andrew375]

I used to get my blood tested every year for the last 3 + decades, for work related reasons. Though it was not to look for lead I asked for it to be looked for. The result every time was that there was nothing out of the ordinary. This was with me shooting over 8000 rounds of. 22rf, and casting and shooting over 100lb. of lead and lead alloy per year.

You are right about a source being the primer compound, there was a case in the 1980's where some NYPD firearms instructors came down with severe lead poisoning that was traced to the priming compound. This was the spur to developing lead free priming. BUT, this was an extreme situation. They spent many hours each day on a small indoor range where thousands of rounds were fired per day and there was inadequate ventilation. I doubt you are not in anything like that situation. There are many more ways that you can pick up lead from the environment, eating vegetables grown in soil with higher than usual heavy metal contaminants, for instance.

[Rockhopper]

Lead water pipes develop an oxide coating on the inside when in contact with the water. You won’t have been drinking lead contaminated water.

[dodgyrog]

I remember the anti-knock additive in petrol when I was a kid in London. Everybody was breathing the exhaust fumes and getting lead in their bodies.

[Blackstuff]

Can you just ask for one of these on the NHS/through your GP, or if there's a cost what sort of ball park? Its more curiosity for me than feeling anything is wrong

[dodgyrog]

Your GP should do it for free - at least I have never been charged

[ukrifleman]

I have been casting and reloading since 1971 and have lived in a house with a lead water main for 26 years.
I had a test for lead last year and it came back normal.
One thing I have never done though, is shoot on an indoor range!