Lead levels

[45-70guy]

Curious if anyone has ever had their lead levels tested?
I have just out of curiosity, along with other things.
Being at 4.1 ug and middle aged my general doctor says he doesn’t do much with lead specifically and would gladly refer to a specialist.
Though looks like normal levels in adults are under 10ug curious what others have experienced.

 

[Red Leg]

Could care less. When I was 14 or 15 I carried Benjamin 22 cal pellets in my mouth for a quick reload - seem to have survived that exposure.

 

[45-70guy]

Could care less. When I was 14 or 15 I carried Benjamin 22 cal pellets in my mouth for a quick reload - seem to have survived that exposure.

Yea this is not a post about survival of lead exposure or you eating the paint chips off the window sill.

 

[matt85]

Havent ever been checked (too my knowldge). I suppose i probably should since ive spent my entire life around the stuff.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Am over 75. A painter/shooter friend advised me to get checked. Results were 1.8 ug/dl 18 months ago.. Last job I worked with a lot of lead was pouring the backing on the gate seals on two Panama Canal lock overhauls and we probably poured tons of it. Gave us milk to drink. Go figure on what that was supposed to do. Edit: Old original gates/locks, not the new ones.

Like @Red Leg, been exposed to so much lead, as a kid, workplace and shooting, I probably weigh an extra five pounds. Unless working with it, the exposure for shooters is the primers. Every time you fire a round, you're exposed.


Fired primers contain fine airborne lead dust and heavy metal residues that pose significant inhalation and ingestion risks when shooting or reloading. [1, 2, 3]

How Lead Gets Released

• • Lead Styphnate: Conventional primers use lead styphnate as an explosive component, making up about 30% to 40% of the priming mix. [1, 2]
  • Vapor and Dust: When the firing pin strikes, the ignition vaporizes this lead compound into microscopic, breathable particles that escape from the muzzle and the gun's ejection port. [1, 2, 3]
  • Residue Buildup: Spent primer pockets and brass casings retain a powdery residue containing heavy metals that coats your hands and workspace during handling or decapping. [1, 2]

Health Risks

• • Inhalation: Primer dust is much finer than the lead from solid bullets, allowing inhaled particles to pass directly into your bloodstream through the lungs. [1, 2]
  • Ingestion: Residue on hands transfers easily to food, drinks, or your face if you do not clean up properly after a session. [1, 2]
  • Toxicity: High lead exposure causes neurological damage, fatigue, headaches, and reproductive health issues. Discussions on platforms like The Firing Line highlight that many reloaders treat primer residue with extra caution to avoid invisible contamination. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Adults

• • Normal Range: Historically considered less than 10 μg/dL, though modern tracking often flags levels at or above 3.5 μg/dL for ongoing monitoring. [1, 2, 3]
  • Occupational Limits: Workplace standards from OSHA allow blood lead levels up to 40 μg/dL for most workers, though medical removal or intervention is triggered at lower thresholds depending on the industry and symptoms. [1]

 

[45-70guy]

Havent ever been checked (too my knowldge). I suppose i probably should since ive spent my entire life around the stuff.

Mostly why I had it added to my yearly blood work was to just get a baseline as I never had it checked.

 

[roverandbrew]

We used to be tested at work and at times pulled from training until lead levels dropped. We also were not allowed to bring our uniforms home and were washed at the unit. The impacts to young children were of the greatest concern.

https://jsomonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2018181Brandon.pdf

 

[45-70guy]

We used to be tested at work and at times pulled from training until lead levels dropped. We also were not allowed to bring our uniforms home and were washed at the unit. The impacts to young children were of the greatest concern.

https://jsomonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2018181Brandon.pdf

At what point or level were they pulling you from work?

 

[roverandbrew]

At what point or level were they pulling you from work?

To be honest I do not remember the scale. I retired in 2020 and it was a few years prior to that when I stopped shooting daily. I can reach out to the med guys if you are truly curious.