melting lead in your garage?
I have cast bullets in my garage for years...a friend (a doctor) just told me that is a bad practice...lead fumes. I have the door open and a fan blowing but he said thats not good enough. He said outside in the open only and a fan or wind behind you blowing everything away.
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Unless we have a medical doctor in Ask The Experts who specializes in toxicology, I find it difficult to imagine someone will come along to contradict what your physician told you. 0 -
Positively do not breath the fumes and it will also absorb through your hair and skin. I would never do it inside and be very carefull outside. 0 -
When I used to cast fishing lures I asked my Dr the same thing, he told me as long as I washed my hands after handling the lead and used enough air flow to carry smoke away from my body I was good to go. I cast thousands of pounds of lead over the years with no problems. I used an exhaust fan from a kitchen hood mounted directly behind my furnace and a fan blowing on me from behind. 0 -
I have melted lead and cast bullets for 35 years.
Your precautions are fine, the doctor is wrong. I have low normal lead in my body, the amount I have is considered background lead. I take no precautions in handling lead. I cast in my shop with a RCBS 20 pound furnace pot. There are times when people go crazy overboard trying to avoid something.
If you look at a thermographic film of a lead pot cooking lead you see the vapors rise just above the rim of the pot and as they quickly cool they head right for the floor. As long as you have some air exchange there is very little chance for you to get enough lead into your system to ever show up.
Years ago I used to cast in the house, eat dinner at the lead pot, smoke and drink beer at the lead pot. I casted tens of thousands of bullets supplying them to my fellow gun club shooters and selling them in bulk at a local gun shop. I casted bullets by the TON. I never once showed abnormal lead in my blood. I sure don't recommend anybody try that now and I sure don't do it any more but it shows that getting lead poisoning can be tough to do.
Your mileage may vary.0 -
With the advent of the EPA & sensitive test equipment, all of the old indoor ranges without ventilation have been shut down, due to the lead particles in the air. The only indoor ranges permitted must have huge fans to force the airborn lead particles downrange & to the outside.
On the plus side, lead does not cause cancer. All it can do to you is cause irreversible brain damage (theoretically). I've cast a lot of bullets in the basement, as have many shooting buddies; lot of illnesses over the years, but nothing that can be blamed on lead exposure.
Neal0 -
The point is to minimize exposure to the lead vapor and dust.
Its simply a question of ventilation. If you're inside but direct all vapor/fumes away from yourself outside with a fan, and don't breathe any, that probably *IS* good enough.
In contrast, if you're standing in a room with the smoke/vapor from the lead pot filling the room, that's NOT OK, even if you have the door open and a fan blowing out.
So yes, just moving where you put the fan can make a BIG difference!
The more important point here is that you don't really need to guess about this.
If you're concerned about lead exposure, you can have a serum lead level taken. Its a simple blood test that will give you a good idea of how much cumulative lead exposure you've had.
If your lead levels are OK, then there would be no reason to change anything you've been doing for years. If they're too high or even borderline, then you should give serious consideration to reducing your lead exposure, including changing your lead bullet casting practice.0 -
The smoke and fumes from your lead pot do not contain lead. You would have to heat the lead to thousands of degrees in order to vaporize it and make it air-borne. I use gloves and wash my hands after each session before handling anything. That is all the precautions you need. 0 -
Lead exposure for shooters does not strictly arise from lead projectiles. Don't forget about the primers!
Primers for most cartridges since the 1930's have used lead styphanate which releases lead oxides into the air upon ignition. In indoor ranges, this can really be a problem. I haven't read any studies which investigated which exposure route (particles from the projectiles or fumes from the primer) is the greatest risk. Ammunition manufacturers today are trying various substitutes for lead styphnate which is probably on the way out and is best for us all.
At any rate, lead is a very dangerous and toxic metal. I have witnessed lead poisoning in children and it is real, painful, and devastating for the victim.
Luckily, most shooters do not have prolonged exposure to high enough doses of lead for permanent damage, but some do pick up lead body burden. Lead casting does have the potential for damage since the person doing the casting is exposed to a source of almost 100% lead not only from the fumes but also from ingestion of small particles.
Just like all types of risk, there are those who overreact and those who will manage the risk in a safe manner. It is the up to the shooter to use precautions and handle lead safely.
Best,
Heavyiron0 -
quote:Lead exposure for shooters does not strictly arise from lead projectiles. Don't forget about the primers!
It was not lead in the primeer's it was mercury, then lead in the later years. Mercury, Lead, Lithium, and some other's are classified as heavy metal's, that can and are detrimental, not only to ones physical health, but especially mental health. They are toxic, and Lead is probably the most commonly found one, although, Lithium can be found in medical prescriptions, and Mercury is used a lot in instrumentation.
Back in the(1700's, and 1800's) day where one of the local shops was most likely a hat store, there was a history of them using Mercury to make the hat bands. There was also matching history, that a significant number of the folks in this profession, lost their mental health...hence the saying "mad as a hatter".
There must besome reason lead has been outlawed for use in making paint also...not sure why, as they have only traced it to birth defects, and later in life complications.
Don't ever believe that the smoke and fumes from the melting pot are not lead. Every substance on this earth, when in liquid form has a vapor pressure. The hotter the element gets, the higher the vapor pressure...this is true for lead too.
I believe what your doctor is telling you is true. An old overhead vent, and a fan behind you, is not only good advice, but great advice.
Best0 -
quote:Originally posted by NOTPOSTAL
When I used to cast fishing lures I asked my Dr the same thing, he told me as long as I washed my hands after handling the lead...
I think you want to do that any time you use that room because the vapor can settle out on things.
Cilantro is supposed to remove lead. Having a lot of milk prior to exposure is supposed to help you not absorb it.
The problem with lead tests is that they often measure your blood. Lead doesn't stay in your blood for more than about 24 hours after exposure. It settles into bones and soft tissues. Thing is, your body can draw on the calcium and magnesium in your bones in order to maintain enough of them in the bloodstream because they are used as electrolytes as well as bone material, so there's a pretty good chance you'll release the stuff at some later point in time. You could also burn some soft tissue during strenuous exercise or if you go without food for a bit.0
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