Bassbob
Emissary
Nothing about my labs is routine brother.
Elevated lead level
- Thread starter Old_Me
- Start date
I hear that, I usually ask "how many tubes today?"
Old_Me
SAINT
hey, this article in Concealed Carry magazine, regarding lead poisoning...??.
apparently, there are lead "salts" in the primers......so, we get exposed to that, as well as "up to" 80 percent of the lead in the bullets, leave airborne lead dust in the ranges.
"lead from the primers, is more easily absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled".....
now, how can we not inhale some of that?
yes, we are supposed to exhale when we pull that trigger, but how many of us can hold our breath for a long time?
especially when many times, (we are allowed to), rapid fire...????
i am allowed to rapid fire any time i want, due to my experience and ccw.
newbies, can NOT rapid fire...(at the range i go to)
interesting article.
and a timely one, given i asked about this a few days ago.....
the author is, Sara Ryan.
apparently, there are lead "salts" in the primers......so, we get exposed to that, as well as "up to" 80 percent of the lead in the bullets, leave airborne lead dust in the ranges.
"lead from the primers, is more easily absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled".....
now, how can we not inhale some of that?
yes, we are supposed to exhale when we pull that trigger, but how many of us can hold our breath for a long time?
especially when many times, (we are allowed to), rapid fire...????
i am allowed to rapid fire any time i want, due to my experience and ccw.
newbies, can NOT rapid fire...(at the range i go to)
interesting article.
and a timely one, given i asked about this a few days ago.....
the author is, Sara Ryan.
C. Sumpin
Custom
Correct. $$$.
They won't test for anything/procedure that insurance may not pay, and they may do/give something worthless if the insurance will pay!
Remember, Medicine is a business; the patient has to take charge of their own health/decisions.
jmcd
Professional
Well said!A nuisance/surgical mask will not do much good versus lead dust. If you're among those who don't subscribe to a nuisance/surgical mask being able to help with COVID, it's even less worth pretending that it'll do any good versus lead dust, for which you will need a N95 respirator (and here, remember, the "fit" counts: the GENTEX/Ops Core SOTR is expensive, but it is a favorite in our hobby and in the firearms training industry for a reason - you won't be seen as "that strange guy" for showing up at the range with it, because people who know, know) - or better.
For lead vapor, a P100 is the standard...but even casting your own bullets should not normally cause an issue, here. With hobbyist bullet casting (and other aspects of hobbyist reloading), typically, it's the microscopic dust particles caught in the fumes that create the actual hazard (and environmental engineering methods such as proper ventilation can provide excellent control).
Modern indoor ranges usually will have proper air-handling, but if you frequent older facilities, this may be a concern.
Remember that it's not just about directly handling items - "transdermal," across skin, may occur, but it's more about the dust that you can't see:
^ When you get home, change your clothes and segregate them for a separate wash. If you use a vacuum to clean your boots, be sure that the vac. utilizes a HEPA filter for outflow, and that you change the bag (being careful of the dust generated while doing so) before you proceed to clean the rest of your home!
Ingestion is really the big hitter, and it's important to remember that it's not just about our grubby fingers in the food context....if you like to lick your fingertips before you count out cash, smoke, etc., these are all ways that you can ingest lead dust. If you decide to wear gloves, be sure that you properly remove them so that you don't contaminate yourself in the process of disposing of the gloves. Alternatively, save some of those wipes and soaps for yourself.
Frank 2041
Operator
I used to go to the newer indoor range in my area quite a bit, before i joined my local Fish and Game Club. It has all the modern air filtration. Downside to that place..is you can only use ammo purchased from them. They sell reloaded stuff from Precision Cartridge in Indiana. It is good stuff..never had any issue with it, and their pricing was less than what you could buy off the shelf. During the height of the shortage they would sell ammo for range use only. So i would see people buy 2 boxes, only use 1 on the range, and put the other one in their range bag and take it home. lol. But yea...the older range near me.. i would go home, and i could taste,smell the lead and gunpowder for a couple days...it's thick in there..
Old_Me
SAINT
same with the public indoor range i go to. before the pandemic, you could buy all the ammo you wanted.
that ended, you can only buy for the rental guns only.
Good air-handling can do amazing things. We've seen both their benefits -as well as their failings- through COVID as well as previous global outbreaks.
But if you really want to cut personal exposure, a properly fitted N95 respirator -or that Vader-esque but very much industry/hobby accepted GENTEX/Ops Core SOTR- are worth the temporary discomfort and dollars invested.
Depending on your range habits, you'll want to do a bit of quick math on long-tern M95 costs versus the upfront outlay for the SOTR. While N95s are re-usable to an extent (witness the extent to which they are reused during the early days of the pandemic here in the States), realize that what makes them work well is in no small part related to the headband(s), so when they lose their elasticity or tear away from the mask material, well, the mask is shot.
Again, while a nuisance/surgical mask may make you feel good,. it won't offer you much in the way of any real protection - you've gotta be willing to put up with the discomfort (and the expense) of an N95 respirator (and this second part of the "N95 equation," that it is a "respirator," means that you really do need to pursue fit-testing: otherwise, again, it becomes just something that makes you feel better, but is offering sub-standard protection) or better.
C. Sumpin
Custom
I would add that my confidence in masks would only be the authentic M3 manufacturer . The best seal and effective ness I have found is with the two filters (one on each side) with excellent rubber like seal. On mine, I have installed an additional (two on each, trimmed to fit) blue medical/surgical masks to the original filters. Breathing is still easy, but, you will have to adjust inconvenience.
Old_Me
SAINT
i am having a difficult time, finding "made in america" N95 masks. i am looking at amazon, and nearly all the brand names are made in....china.....
There's also a bazillion fakes out there from our "friends" in China.
Supposedly Amazon is an approved reseller for 3M and if you buy them with Amazon as the seller (not by third party shipped through Amazon) you will get the real deal.
And it will probably be made in China.
I've used the 8511 with respirator valve at the indoor range. I can't say it filtered everything but it turned a good shade of gray after a couple hours.
KN95 have been surprisingly working out very well in the medical community - with a caveat on fit and durability. It's been working out good enough that as Delta spun-up, my wife requested that we purchase some more to supplement our stocks. Given that her frontline staff were willing to bet their lives on it, I was amenable to the purchase. [A physicist friend of mine -who does not see N95 as valid protection versus COVID- was comfortable in comparing KN95 to N95 in terms of filtration performance, FWIW.]
That said, I'll take a trusted American brand like 3M, as @C. Sumpin recommended.
If you have the ability to have a fit test, @Old_Me , maybe through a friend who is in occupational health or such related fields, I would call in a favor and get that done.
Be sure that it fits well. Getting an actual "American" N95 now is more than half the battle, but if it doesn't fit properly, you're still on the losing side of the equation, I'm afraid. Failing that, some masks do have end-user fit-check steps noted on their packaging or packing insert - those steps should be followed to check your fit each and every time you use the respirator, anyway, but as a substitute for a true fit-test, it's arguably passable, if you can be absolutely honest with yourself.
For the time being, don't go crazy getting a lot of these, @Old_Me . The supply chain should eventually catch-up again...and I personally think that it will do so before the ammo situation sorts itself out.
That said, I'll take a trusted American brand like 3M, as @C. Sumpin recommended.
If you have the ability to have a fit test, @Old_Me , maybe through a friend who is in occupational health or such related fields, I would call in a favor and get that done.
Be sure that it fits well. Getting an actual "American" N95 now is more than half the battle, but if it doesn't fit properly, you're still on the losing side of the equation, I'm afraid. Failing that, some masks do have end-user fit-check steps noted on their packaging or packing insert - those steps should be followed to check your fit each and every time you use the respirator, anyway, but as a substitute for a true fit-test, it's arguably passable, if you can be absolutely honest with yourself.
For the time being, don't go crazy getting a lot of these, @Old_Me . The supply chain should eventually catch-up again...and I personally think that it will do so before the ammo situation sorts itself out.
C. Sumpin
Custom
Perhaps this will help:
This is my getup:
There is also a chart showing the K, N, or other designations and the foreign Mfgrs. producing PPE for/by 3M.
This is my getup:
There is also a chart showing the K, N, or other designations and the foreign Mfgrs. producing PPE for/by 3M.
Old_Me
SAINT
the 3M brand Amazon had, is actually made in CHINA...!!!!!!!!KN95 have been surprisingly working out very well in the medical community - with a caveat on fit and durability. It's been working out good enough that as Delta spun-up, my wife requested that we purchase some more to supplement our stocks. Given that her frontline staff were willing to bet their lives on it, I was amenable to the purchase. [A physicist friend of mine -who does not see N95 as valid protection versus COVID- was comfortable in comparing KN95 to N95 in terms of filtration performance, FWIW.]
That said, I'll take a trusted American brand like 3M, as @C. Sumpin recommended.
If you have the ability to have a fit test, @Old_Me , maybe through a friend who is in occupational health or such related fields, I would call in a favor and get that done.
Be sure that it fits well. Getting an actual "American" N95 now is more than half the battle, but if it doesn't fit properly, you're still on the losing side of the equation, I'm afraid. Failing that, some masks do have end-user fit-check steps noted on their packaging or packing insert - those steps should be followed to check your fit each and every time you use the respirator, anyway, but as a substitute for a true fit-test, it's arguably passable, if you can be absolutely honest with yourself.
For the time being, don't go crazy getting a lot of these, @Old_Me . The supply chain should eventually catch-up again...and I personally think that it will do so before the ammo situation sorts itself out.
C. Sumpin
Custom
3M has plants in thirty seven countries. Perhaps China is one of them.?
Amazon? Un American. Never.
TEXASforLIFE
SAINT
Not all mask are created equal as being some only filter dirt. Getting mask with replaceable cartridges will be/give flexibility as more usage between various task. Paint stores/home improvement could be a better place too find what you need with more selection. Lead, asbestos or more specific type filters. Don't forget your eyes can absorb debris. Eye protection as in open style eye wear doesn't protect the corners.
One thing to consider when reloading is the case cleaning process when running a vibrating tumbler as it will release lead dust into the air so a well ventilated area is best when running it. Also when your pouring the media through a strainer to collect the clean cases it should be done outside with a N100 or P100 mask on so you don't unnecessarily expose yourself to lead dust.
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Old_Me
SAINT
thanks.
for the time being, i am not reloading.
i wanted to, but the unavailability of presses, dies, then the components...
i gave up.
and will most likely, not pursue that thought any longer.
Long ago I had read that a used fabric softener sheet or two would cut down on the dust in the tumbler.
I tried it and it's seemed to help. I have not reloaded in few years so no recent experience...