Volatization temperature of lead is well above melting point...keep your temperature where it should be, and any exposure will come from dermal exposure, if you are unlucky enough to spill/splash some on you. If you DO run your temperature high enough for volatization, a fiber mask isn't going to be much help...you will need a NIOSH/MSA respirator instead.
I've moved all my casting outdoors. By positioning myself so the wind is on my shoulder I stay clear of fumes and lead vapors. Sitting with my back to the wind seems to cause undesirable eddies.Originally Posted by bxchef29
These are hard to find. I do not use one, never have!
FYI: I am told that the normal, if there is such a thing, lead content in the blood is between Zero and 20 ug/dL (micrograms/decileter). Anything over that is a health issue, especially in young children.
The test is only capable of measuring plus or minus 1 ug/dL and cannot detect any blood content of lead under 1. Over 20 is a warning sign of excessive exposure. Somewhere around 60 is where the toxic levels start and treatment is required. Obviously, less is better!
I just had a routine physical and asked my doctor to run a Lead test just to see and to set a baseline so that I would know if I was getting more exposure as I upped my casting volume. Bullets are getting more expensive and I plan to cast more rather than buy them from now on! (I have been casting bullets and fishing weights casually for 30 years)
My test came back at 2 ug/dL. The doctor said that with the plus or minus 1 ug/dL accuracy, I could be as low as 1 in reality or as high as 3. This is good for an adult my age (50 yrs. old) and much lower than a lot of people in New York City where the old pipes are still lead or lead sealed iron.
So, I have been exposing myself to lead thru my hobby for 30 years and have not managed to pick up much at all. In fact, the lead that I do have in my blood may be from another source like automobile exhaust, since Gasoline had lead added as a lubricant until the 80's when it was removed because it was polluting the air (with lead), or water pipes, etc.
I don't eat lead paint, I smelt only outside, I cast in the garage with the bay doors and windows open and I clean up the area carefully from time to time.
I do not eat or drink while casting and I wash up well after casting. Also, I do drink a lot of Orange Juice and other juices that are high in vitamin C which is a natural chelating agent that binds with the lead and allows your kidneys to remove it from your body. I do that because I like OJ, not to reduce my lead numbers, but I assume that it might have helped.
Bottom line is be smart and keep clean and your gonna be OK. I have less lead in my blood than a lot of people who don't handle lead or cast at all and I have been around it all of my adult life!
Last edited by Defcon-One; 05-30-2011 at 04:26 PM. Reason: Not PPM, ug/dL, so I changed it!
There is no such thing as "lead vapors" at anywhere NEAR casting temperatures. The partial
pressure of molten lead at those temps is something like 1 millionth of 1 mm a "mm of
mercury" (which is based on the column of mercury used in a real barometer) where a normal
sea level pressure is 760 mm of mercury. Basically, zero lead is vaporizing at casting
temperatures - so the worry, constantly reported by folks, is total baloney.
Smells? Yes. Smoke from various additives for cleaning your melt? YES! but not lead
vapor. Stinky, but harmless. You want ventilation to keep the wife happy, not for health
reasons.
One - OSHA limit is 40 mg/decaliter not 20. The child limit is 10,
I don't know of anything that uses 20. And I am pretty sure the units are mg/decaliter, definitely
not ppm. I know that this is picky, but we have been fighting lots of misinformation on this
subject for years and I am getting very picky about it.
CORRECTION: it is microgram per deciliter for blood lead testing units, not
milligrams as I said above. Micro is one millionth, milli is one thousandth. As long as you are under 40,
OSHA says you are good to go in the workplace, long term daily exposure. If you wash up after casting and
reloading, don't smoke or drink around lead you will most likely run in the low end of the 5-15 range. Mine
runs higher because I shoot indoors regularly, but is about 23 or so in years gone by when I was shooting
indoors 3 of 4 weekends. Less now, so should be even lower.
Bill
Last edited by MtGun44; 05-31-2011 at 07:05 AM.
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
CHART
LEAD, LINE #9
First of all, since we are being picky here, I am not Charley!
Second, If you want to be "accurate", why not check your information, before you correct me. I'm pretty sure that most of your information is in complete agreement with what I said above. I know that mg/deciliter is wrong (by a factor of 1000) and I never mentioned OSHA above, so why correct me on that. The kids are 10, but I just said that they are at higher risk, I never said their limit was not 10.
It was actually ug/dL (micrograms/decileter), not PPM, so I was also wrong and I have edited that. The expected test range is 0-19 on my test report, that's the safe exposure amount! Under 20 is OK, or as they say "expected". So, they do use 20 as the warning level! That would be my Hospital and I assume the entire medical community.
For those who care, the whole report reads as follows:
Lead, Blood (Adult): 2 ug/dL, (Expected: 0-19)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states blood lead levels less than 10 ug/dL in children have been associated with numerous adverse health effects.
Eviromental Exposure: WHO = <20
Occupational Exposure: OSHA Lead Standard = 40
Detection Limit = 1
Also, I got the 60 ug/dL off of the internet as the point where Chelation treatment is required, which is exactly what I stated!
The above is now correct. Thanks for pointing out the one error that I made, it is not PPM!
Updated to add: WHO is "World Health Organization" and they use 20!
Last edited by Defcon-One; 05-31-2011 at 01:47 PM. Reason: Updated with definition of WHO!
No, but I do have a fan blowing from behind for what it is worth!
1Shirt!
"Common Sense Is An Uncommon Virtue" Ben Franklin
"Ve got too soon old and too late smart" Pa.Dutch Saying
Not me. But when I melt down acid core solder it is outside and upwind. That stuff is nasty.
I meant to say I'm upwind.
Wearing a mask has its own issues. I read an article in JAMA once where they tested surgeon's mask for bacteria. They determined that after about five minute the mask is a culture of bacteria. It makes me laugh when you see people running around with a used mask around their neck. You might as well carry a Petri dish with you.
A good fan from Walmart will take care of the problem. Mine was $10.
Gerry
lol yeah went there picked up a box fan for 15 bucks works well
I prefer the missus to wear the mask!
Never wore one while casting.
Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!
Men who don't understand women fall into two categories: bachelors and husbands!
No and most mask will stop nothing but dust! If you are worried about fumes you would need filter and fresh air to a mask/respirator.
I use air flow to not get any fumes set up with wind from back in well ventilated area.
When I think back on all the **** I learned in high school it's a wonder I can think at all ! And then my lack of education hasn't hurt me none I can read the writing on the wall.
I had an issue with my BLL going up when I was making shot and casting alot. I bought some lead detection vials from Home Depot to check my work area.
The vials showed lead on the wood cabinet above my shotmaker and pot. The temperatures never got above 800'. So how did the lead get there?? I think it rode along with the smoke created when fluxing and stirring. There was a 20" box fan mounted in the cabinet behind the pots pulling the fumes away from me.
My BLL never got to 20 but I could feel the effects from it. Had a metallic taste in my mouth and the base of my fingernails had a purple tint to them. My teeth even felt different, and my blood pressure had risen.
I'm down to .5 now and all is good!
bxchef29
I think I know where you got the idea for the mask, Mike V. is wearing a face shield in a photo of him casting in the newest Lyman manual if that is what you are talking about. No I have never worn one and don't have any plans on one.
Ken
actually thats what i have, sorry should of made that clear i purchased a resperator for paint fumes made by 3m i believe
funny you say that, i swore i also had a metalic taste in my mouth
I never wear a mask while casting. I do wear safety glasses. A face sheild would be better.
Buut...I smelt wheeweights on my truck tailgate outside. There can't be anything good in all that black smoke.
Might not be a bad idea to move my casting operations outside. I'm pretty sloppy and I've got little lead pieces all over that end of my bench.
I don't wear a mask, but I do use a plastic face shield. this will provide some help against lead splashes, etc. cost about $13, seems like cheap protection to me.
I no longer look like Robert Redford, but, let's not make it worse.
billy boy
pour more and think less.
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