Bloodwork Came in

[savagelover]

I used to use an exhaust fan right over my melting pot when I was casting..I got rid of all my casting stuff a few years ago.For the amount of shooting I do now,it is cheaper for me to buy them and alot less hassel...Plus I have more room in the shed now for other important things...

 

[Slamfire]

In searching for information on Lead toxicity, I found this Human Health Services document which discusses lead studies and levels.

Lead has been extensively studied

Lead (Pb) is one of the most extensively studied environmental toxicants, with more than 22,500 publications on health effects and exposure in the peer-reviewed literature.

It is a 173 page document, so I am just posting the key questions, if these are of interest, the link is below.


http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/NTP/ohat/Lead/DraftNTPMonographonHealthEffectsofLowLevelLead.pdf

2.1 Key Questions
What is the evidence that adverse health effects are associated with blood lead <10μg/dL?

What reproductive, developmental, neurological, immune, cardiovascular, and renal health effect(s) are associated with blood lead levels <10μg/dL?

What is the blood lead level associated with the health effect (i.e., <10μg/dL or <5μg/dL)?

At which life stages (childhood, or adulthood) is the effect identified?

Are there data to evaluate the association between bone Pb and the health effect and how does the association to this biomarker of Pb exposure compare to the association with blood Pb?

 

[snuffy]

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/NTP/ohat/Le...wLevelLead.pdf

Oh boy another govmint study. What do you expect them to say? Their very existence is dependent on coming up with studies about things to ban. They've been trying to ban lead in bullets/boolits for years.

Slam,I though we had you straightened out over on THR. We would have if they'd have left that thread open.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=637203

 

[Slamfire]

There is more than one nation with a medical department, and with a little effort, I find similar warnings about lead toxicity from the British Health service.

I find charts with titles such as :

Figure 2: The breakdown of male lead workers under medical surveillance by industrial sector in 2009/10.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/lead/index.htm

You can find data indicating that the scrap industry has the highest incidents of workers with lead levels from 80 to 100 micrograms. That is likely coming from lead dust.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/lead/data.htm


There are publications titled:

Lead Toxicological overview
http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947332124


Looking at the warnings, lead limits, things are remarkably consistent. Like the 50 microgram per cubic meter exposure limit in a eight hour period
.

Laboratory tests
• Whole blood lead levels:
o <10 μg/dL - normal.
o >10 μg/dL - may cause impaired cognitive development in children.
o >45 μg/dL - GI symptoms in adults and children.
o >70 μg/dL - high risk of acute CNS symptoms.
o >100 μg/dL - may be life-threatening.

I have found 60's data on lead concentrations above industrial linotype pots but I have not found data on lead concentrations above a typical 20 pound casting pot. To convert from milligrams to micrograms, the current standard, multiply by 1000.

Governments have recognized lead toxicity for well over a century.

Take a look at this 1911 Industrial Labor standard.

Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor, Issues 94-96 , pages 166 and 167
http://books.google.com/books?id=8c...EdbNWa60HEk481-PwNww&ci=48,61,857,1514&edge=0


I am only fluent in English, but I will bet that someone who is fluent in Spanish, Germany, etc, would find similar brochures by other national health agencies.

Regardless, I believe that anyone using a casting pot needs to have a positive air flow to carry lead vapors outside.

Something that is not appreciated is lead dust on surfaces and clothing.

 

[snuffy]

From THR.

Elkins45
Member


Join Date: December 25, 2009
Location: Northern KY
Posts: 193



You would expect a metal with an atomic weight of 207 to behave the same as water?

Lead bullet casting happens around 700K. The vapor pressure of Pb at that temperature is somewhere around 0.000001 mm Hg. To give you an idea of just how low that is, normal atmospheric pressure is 760 mm Hg.

http://www.powerstream.com/vapor-pressure.htm if you want to verify my numbers. I won't claim you can't poison yourself through accidental ingestion, and powder of the oxide can be an issue, but you aren't going to breathe enough Pb vapor to do it. It's just too heavy an atom.

Plus, think about all the anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Back in the days of molten lead type lithographers spent hours in rooms full of vats of molten Linotype and we don't see reams of stories of typesetters keeling over dead at a young age.