Lead levels in blood

I thought this might be of interest: Six months ago, my lead levels were 25mc/dl five times what is
considered "normal".
I started wearing an N95 mask at the indoor range, and had the levels tested again.  Result: 7.5mc/dl
I also started back on statin drug for cholesterol, so that may have had an effect, but Dr. Google says 
it won't.
Most physicians don't test for lead, my test had to go to Mayo for testing, but if you shoot indoors much
it might be a good idea.

At my regional hospital network I had to ask to add lead to my panel, but it came back a couple of days later with the rest of my results.

Are you sure the lead mask and statin were the only changes? I want to keep mine down too. I've taken to wearing gloves when handling spent cases and lead bullets. I've always religiously used lead soap but still got levels earlier this year higher than I wanted (shooting swaged lead indoors). I had gotten lax about wearing my mask, so I'm back to using that indoors too.

Adults will eliminate lead in the blood at different paces. I have been checked for lead during a visit. The blood samples weren't sent to any exotic medical facility. Levels of lead in blood must be reported to the appropriate state authorities after reaching certain levels. The minimum levels to be reported vary by state. For adults, taking certain precautions can help someone to keep the levels low.

Adults can reduce lead levels by: 

• Washing hands and face: Wash hands and face before eating or drinking 
  
  Eating and drinking in safe areas: Eat and drink in areas free of lead dust and fumes 
  
• 
  Wearing protective equipment: Wear a clean, properly fitted respirator with a HEPA filter in areas with lead dust or fumes 
  
• 
  Changing clothes and shoes: Change into different clothes and shoes before working with lead 
  
• 
  Showering after work: Shower after working with lead before going home 
  
• 
  Washing clothes separately: Wash clothes separately from other family members' clothes 
  
• 
  Vacuuming: Vacuum carpeting, rugs, and upholstery often with a HEPA vacuum 
  
• 
  Eating a well-balanced diet: Eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein-rich foods 
  
• 
  
  Lead is normally released very slowly from the body, but the body accumulates lead over a lifetime. The half-life of lead in adult blood is estimated to be 28 days. Lead poisoning can be treated with chelation therapy, which uses drugs that can be given orally or intravenously. 
  

SingleActionAndrew wrote:At my regional hospital network I had to ask to add lead to my panel, but it came back a couple of days later with the rest of my results.

Are you sure the lead mask and statin were the only changes? I want to keep mine down too. I've taken to wearing gloves when handling spent cases and lead bullets. I've always religiously used lead soap but still got levels earlier this year higher than I wanted (shooting swaged lead indoors). I had gotten lax about wearing my mask, so I'm back to using that indoors too.

That was the only change. I shoot Bear Creek's moly coated lead, and that is a regular 
load for me for about a year.

I used to shoot in two very dirty ranges a lot and my lead level went up. I started wearing a mask in those two places plus was just more careful in general and my number came back into line. Really depends on where you shoot IMO.

Deleted

Irrelevant 

Thanks

Great respect to you Bruce
Glad things are on upswing too

Our range ended up with dangerous levels of lead. Even the club house had high levels which turns out that the cleaning people were not cleaning under the bottom of all the tables, bottom of chairs etc. We have changed out our air handlers, filters, back stops and added things like adhesive matts to clean the bottom of your shoes when leaving. Certainly lead has come more into the line light in the shooting world.

As two doctors told me, lead testing is really only for young children. One doctor sent a request through. So, I cast my own bullets, melted my lead, shot indoors at least once a week only firing cast bullets at 11-13 BHN. My result came back 6.
One: the only lead exposure in the air is from the primer. To avoid lead, blow your nose thoroughly after shooting, wash hands and face, don't eat, drink, smoke, or masterbate while handling lead. Normal path is almost entirely oral.

D-Lead makes some great products. I keep a bottle of the soap in my bathroom. I take along a bottle of their liquid soap when I take kids to the indoor range and make sure that they use it to wash up after shooting.

I have a professional hazmat and firearms background.  I have access to an indoor range.  I do not shoot there.

I have participated at an indoor range where a company attached air monitors to several  shooters during a match. After the results were tabulated, a new air handling system was installed due to the excessive lead content in the air we were breathing.

Would like to see a way of testing existing indoor ranges without needing a professional on site to measure air purity. Maybe a strip of double-sided tape on the visor of a hat to be tested later for lead?

First of all I'm new to this forum and came here in search of information on high BLL from shooting. I've found a lot of helpful information here and want to thank all who've contributed to it. This includes several threads on the Bullseye-L forum.

I'm what you call a senior citizen but only took up shooting a year ago, although I've always kept a few guns around. I was shooting at an indoor range regularly as often as a dozen times a month when somehow somewhere I became aware of the lead issue. I told my doctor about it although I had no symptoms or complaints and he said he wasn't worried about it. But I decided to get a test anyway and it came back at 18.4, which Quest considers high and they say normal is <3.5. After I calmed down I started doing some research and found that 18.5 really isn't anything to panic about, but I certainly want to prevent it from continuing higher and hopefully get it down into the single digits.

In light of all that I've made several changes in my habits. I've cut my range visits in half and when the weather allows I've gone to an outdoor range.  I've been wearing a 3M 8233 N100 respirator when I shoot indoors and I'm transitioning to Speer Lawman clean-fire ammo which uses lead free primers. I've got my D-Lead wipes, and when I come home before I sit or lie down I put the clothes I was wearing in the washing machine and take a shower. I leave my range bag in the garage until I can clean it outside (blowing it off inside and out with a leaf blower) and take my stuff in the house in a regular shopping bag.

One last thing. The range I primarily use has an active ventilation system. The mechanicals are outside not far from the entrance and you defiitely know its running. Inside you are aware of the air moving but it's not going to knock you down. What I don't know is what's in that air. The facility seems moderately clean to me, none of these places are like someone's living room.

I intend to get another test after 90 days has passed and hope all this proves beneficial.

upset264 wrote:First of all I'm new to this forum and came here in search of information on high BLL from shooting. I've found a lot of helpful information here and want to thank all who've contributed to it. This includes several threads on the Bullseye-L forum.

I'm what you call a senior citizen but only took up shooting a year ago, although I've always kept a few guns around. I was shooting at an indoor range regularly as often as a dozen times a month when somehow somewhere I became aware of the lead issue. I told my doctor about it although I had no symptoms or complaints and he said he wasn't worried about it. But I decided to get a test anyway and it came back at 18.4, which Quest considers high and they say normal is <3.5. After I calmed down I started doing some research and found that 18.5 really isn't anything to panic about, but I certainly want to prevent it from continuing higher and hopefully get it down into the single digits.

In light of all that I've made several changes in my habits. I've cut my range visits in half and when the weather allows I've gone to an outdoor range.  I've been wearing a 3M 8233 N100 respirator when I shoot indoors and I'm transitioning to Speer Lawman clean-fire ammo which uses lead free primers. I've got my D-Lead wipes, and when I come home before I sit or lie down I put the clothes I was wearing in the washing machine and take a shower. I leave my range bag in the garage until I can clean it outside (blowing it off inside and out with a leaf blower) and take my stuff in the house in a regular shopping bag.

One last thing. The range I primarily use has an active ventilation system. The mechanicals are outside not far from the entrance and you defiitely know its running. Inside you are aware of the air moving but it's not going to knock you down. What I don't know is what's in that air. The facility seems moderately clean to me, none of these places are like someone's living room.

I intend to get another test after 90 days has passed and hope all this proves beneficial

The posts I made above pretty much answer your concerns, but a lot of your precautions are a bit of overkill. I am using the same N95 mask for a lot of visits, and no rise in blood levels.  Mine was 7 last time 
and my Doc says not to worry even at 15- I am 88, so your precautions should be all you need.

Would like to add that in every gun safety course should be a section on lead level awareness. Bringing home lead from the range not only affects the shooters health, but everybody in the household. Especially children.

One should be aware and take sensible precautions, but in my experience there has been way too much fear mongering, especially from some governments, i.e. California. My wife, kids and I did just fine over the decades. My father who shot weekly at a poorly ventilated indoor range for decades, also didn't suffer noticeable effects.

I think the greatest exposure to lead we shooters have is firing the stuff




It used to be that the OSHA limit for lead was 50 micrograms per lead per cubic meter. Firing a 158 L bullet from a 38 Special blows out 5643 micrograms per shot!  If you breath that into your lungs, it goes directly into your blood stream. My GP says it goes from the blood into the brain. What's a little lead between brain cells?

Old indoor ranges, they were dangerous!  This is the indoor pistol and 22lr range at Louisville KY. It was built around 1970. The only ventilation was a door on the far right side (visible in picture) and a door on the near right side, not in the picture.



Ventilation, assuming the doors were opened. Louisville seems not to use the indoor range for shooting anymore.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1025AppB