Anyone know anything about lead poisoning?

[Deep13]

I am NOT asking for medical advice, since I already have that. I just want to know how it works.

I have "elevated" levels that are not bad enough to need treatment. I have to assume this was caused by using the indoor shooting range.

So the question is, does the lead work its way out of the body after awhile or does it never go away? I have heard that exposure is "cumulative" which suggests I'm kind of stuck with what is there now. In my view that would preclude any future shooting.

[Kali]

1. I think the biggest risk is for developmental stages - preg women and kids

had a cockatiel that chewed the lead solder off a stained glass mirror and some of the rescue efforts involved charcoal and chelated something or other to try and bind the lead for excretion (didn't work as he ate a lot of it before I noticed what had happened).

What is being recommended for you? (curious)

[Deep13]

2. Just to stay away from the shooting range.

Kind of a bummer, because it is a hobby I really enjoy.

I mean, I could have gotten it from a few other marginal sources, but shooting lead bullets at an armor plated wall indoors seems like the obvious cause.

[Kali]

3. can't wear a mask or something?

or find an out door range?

does this mean everybody with the hobby/practice has elevated levels? - seems kind of odd - did the doc say anything about possible effects or symptoms to watch for? Now you have me curious enough I predict I am going to spend time googling when I SHOULD be doing bookkeeping! :spank:

[Deep13]

5. I haven't had a chance to talk tot he doc at length.

I returned her call because she left a message saying the test results were available. The nurse I talked to just said the levels were elevated and not to shoot there.

I do go to an outdoor range in warmer weather when it is daylight longer.

My guess is that the indoor range is not sufficiently ventilated. Also, I may be doing something wrong in my handling of materials like range clothes or when cleaning. Cleaning can be a pretty involved procedure. I tend to shoot a lot of .22 because it is so cheap. They are either plain lead (no copper jacket) or have a thin copper leaf coating. So after a few hundred rounds, it requires some effort (including the use of solvents) to get powder and lead residue out of the barrel.

I'll look into masks, but I'm thinking is that if the air is so bad that I need one, maybe I should just skip it.

[Rosie1223]

4. This is pretty basic but it may be of some help

http://www.nj.gov/health/surv/documents/firing_range_fs.pdf

Take Care.

[Deep13]

6. The range does provide shooters with brooms for spend cases.

That is a no-no according to that NJ brochure.

[TZ]

7. Lead is a neurotoxin

And it is detremental to developing brains in children and adolescents...it causes brain damage. As an adult who has reached full neurological growth, you are not succeptible to that. Not that lead toxicity is good for you, of course but its not going to leave a lifetime of damage to you most likely. You can probably find a method to help if its a serious case of poisoning. Ironically, every woo snake oil merchants favorite treatment of chelation MIGHT be helpful for you...Chelation is FDA approved for heavy metal poisoning.
Edit: if you don't need treatment now, I wouldn't worry too much but it is likely the lead will stay in your system. I would bet your doctor recommends no more indoor ranges.

[Deep13]

8. That's what she said--stay away from the range.

I read some recommendations for controlling exposure at indoor ranges. The biggest is a filter mask. They also say to have dedicated range clothes (shoes too) and to change out of them before getting back into the car. One should also wash ones hair after shooting. One noted pistol expert, Massad Ayoob, said he would rather hunt for food at a toxic waste dump than shoot regularly at an indoor range. Ugh!

My real concern is any affect it might have cognitively since I am going to need every brain cell for grad school.

[hunter]

9. Are you sure it's not from old paint too?

That's a biggie if you restore or repair old houses. Even the soil around old houses is contaminated.

[Deep13]

10. I don't restore or repaint old houses.

My house was made in the 1970s. It has vinyl siding.

It's from bullets, the only lead I ever have contact with. I wish I could blame it on something else, but I just can't. I usually shoot at least 200 rounds (at least half of which are .22) per week at the indoor range in the winter when the outdoor range is not accessible.

[struggle4progress]

11. More than one possibility, I think: for example, lead can deposit in bones and then

can be released later, either gradually -- or more suddenly in a period of sickness or metabolic stress

[Deep13]

12. It's the bullets.

200 rounds every week indoors, plus a couple hours cleaning afterward. If there is another source of exposure it would be inconsequential. If I got X amount from paint or soil or whatever, the exposure from bullets would be like 1000x.

[struggle4progress]

13. You misunderstand me: I'm saying that lead exposure results in lead deposited in your

bones

You had asked about cumulative exposure: the bone deposits of lead are one cumulative effect

The lead in your bones may not release back into your system very quickly but the more you have in the bones, the more may released regularly, so the higher your blood levels will be for an extended time -- and there's absolutely no upside to that

Moreover, if you have lots of lead in your bone, it's possible for large amounts of lead to be released much later by disease processes, so some later health problems might be compounded by unexpected lead poisoning

That's a reason or two to minimize exposure to lead: it can hang around in your system a long time

[Deep13]

15. Gotcha. Sorry. nt

[struggle4progress]

14. Toxicological Profile for Lead (ATSDR)

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=96&tid=22

[Deep13]

16. Thanks. nt

[RedCloud]

17. There must be a biochemical solution to this.

I don't know what that would be, but when I had kidney stones my docs said it was too big, get an operation... I googled "dissolves most kidney stones" found that Internet recipe and it worked for me.

I think you should do this with expert medical advice. One can only imagine the harm that could come from ridding yourself of lead only to find out there are perhaps other consequences.

[Deep13]

19. Are you suggesting that it may be harmful to avoid further lead exposure?

Maybe I misunderstand, but the "treatment" is simply to avoid exposure and let the stuff leave through normal processes.

[LynneSin]

18. Yes it's caused by Lead

:hide:

[Deep13]

20. Damn! That's what I was afraid of.

:-(