Are there any risks from handling lead pellets?

[Barryg]

what is the truth about any dangers from lead pellets? should you wash your hands after handling them, has anyone looked into it? is there anything to avoid or should we just ignore the warnings.

I know that there have been a few threads on this subject and shooters just say lead is best as we all know but is it safe, would you let your children handle lead pellets without a care?

Someone in the know please clarify

[bighit]

what is the truth about any dangers from lead pellets? should you wash your hands after handling them, has anyone looked into it? is there anything to avoid or should we just ignore the warnings.

I know that there have been a few threads on this subject and shooters just say lead is best as we all know but is it safe, would you let your children handle lead pellets without a care?

Someone in the know please clarify

Do you fancy any of these conditions ?
Symptoms
Exposure to lead can be harmful especially to unborn babies and young children. Children absorb more lead than adults due to their growing bones and other organs which lead can become deposited in.

The signs and symptoms in young children can include:

irritability and fatigue
loss of appetite and weight loss
abdominal pain
vomiting
constipation
hearing loss
developmental delay and learning difficulties
Although children are at increased risk of the effects of lead poisoning, exposure via drinking contaminated water can also result in illness in adults. Even if you are experiencing these symptoms, it does not always mean you have lead poisoning.

One of the reasons paint containing lead was banned from children's toys .




Symptoms in adults can include:

high blood pressure
abdominal pain
constipation
joint and muscle pain
pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
headache
miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
fatigue
memory loss
If your property has lead pipes and you or your children are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your GP.

Yes other things cause they symptoms but the more you can do to stop adding more of these things that cause them the better.

[Barryg]

Do you fancy any of these conditions ?
Symptoms
Exposure to lead can be harmful especially to unborn babies and young children. Children absorb more lead than adults due to their growing bones and other organs which lead can become deposited in.

The signs and symptoms in young children can include:

irritability and fatigue
loss of appetite and weight loss
abdominal pain
vomiting
constipation
hearing loss
developmental delay and learning difficulties
Although children are at increased risk of the effects of lead poisoning, exposure via drinking contaminated water can also result in illness in adults. Even if you are experiencing these symptoms, it does not always mean you have lead poisoning.

One of the reasons paint containing lead was banned from children's toys .




Symptoms in adults can include:

high blood pressure
abdominal pain
constipation
joint and muscle pain
pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
headache
miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
fatigue
memory loss
If your property has lead pipes and you or your children are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your GP.

Yes other things cause they symptoms bit the more you can do to stop adding more of these things that cause them the better

So does that mean it is safe to handle lead pellets or not

[bighit]

So does that mean it is safe to handle lead pellets or not

Yes but wash your hands afterwards and the same with children and dont eat them obviously.

Yes I know lots of houses still have lead pipes.

[Barryg]

Yes but wash your hands afterwards and the same with children and dont eat them obviously.

Yes I know lots of houses still have lead pipes.

Can your hands contaminate other things before you wash them?

[bighit]

Can your hands contaminate other things before you wash them?

Yes. Studies have shown that people who work with lead could transfer lead via their skin hair and clothing to their families.


You can absorb lead via your skin too according to some studies others say you can't.

Quote
Some studies have found lead can be absorbed through skin. If you handle lead and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you could be exposed. Lead dust can also get on your clothes and your hair.

Yes it's a 14 year old report. It may still be valid today.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lea...0your%20family.

Will you absorb enough through handling pellets? Depends how many you handle and over what time frame but I dare say it wont affect many shooters.

I still wash my hands before eating after handling them or wear gloves out in the field. Though I did not in the past.

[Logunner]

Yes I know lots of houses still have lead pipes.

Phosphate is added to the water to mitigate lead pipes, it creates a lining by sticking to the lead and therefore reducing the exposure.

[bighit]

Phosphate is added to the water to mitigate lead pipes, it creates a lining by sticking to the lead and therefore reducing the exposure.

I read about Pb02 scale in lead pipes . It stops the lead leeching from the pipes.

[trajectory]

Are there an risks in handling lead pellets?

Yes, because they contain toxic substances.

Can I quantify what the risk in terms of contact frequency, exposure limits etc no. But I'm sure there will be something on exposure limits handling of lead & lead alloys on product MSDS or HSE guideline but how that translates into pellet handling I wouldn't know.

So, knowing leads nasty what do I do? Keep pellets in the original packing ( for instance no putting a couple of dozen in a trouser or jacket pocket as a handy supply). Don't eat or drink or handle food until I've washed my hands well in warm soapy water. Try to avoid touching my face especially around my eyes ,nose or mouth & if I have an itch on my face I use the back of my hand as opposed to finger tips that may have been touching lead. Lots of things are potentially harmful one problem with things like lead is that the effects of contamination are not usually immediate with low levels of exposure so anything you can do to reduce exposure levels by sensible practical use seems like a good idea to me.

I think it's all part & parcel of learning to shoot.....well it's the way I was shown.

I'm not paranoid but I would say that I try to mitigate the risks involved.

Not sure but was it mercury that was used by hatters as opposed to lead?

[bighit]

Are there an risks in handling lead pellets?

Yes, because they contain toxic substances.

Can I quantify what the risk in terms of contact frequency, exposure limits etc no. But I'm sure there will be something on exposure limits handling of lead & lead alloys on product MSDS or HSE guideline but how that translates into pellet handling I wouldn't know.

So, knowing leads nasty what do I do? Keep pellets in the original packing ( for instance no putting a couple of dozen in a trouser or jacket pocket as a handy supply). Don't eat or drink or handle food until I've washed my hands well in warm soapy water. Try to avoid touching my face especially around my eyes ,nose or mouth & if I have an itch on my face I use the back of my hand as opposed to finger tips that may have been touching lead. Lots of things are potentially harmful one problem with things like lead is that the effects of contamination are not usually immediate with low levels of exposure so anything you can do to reduce exposure levels by sensible practical use seems like a good idea to me.

I think it's all part & parcel of learning to shoot.....well it's the way I was shown.

I'm not paranoid but I would say that I try to mitigate the risks involved.

Not sure but was it mercury that was used by hatters as opposed to lead?

You are right .
Mercury poisoning of hat-makers – A popular explanation of the phrase suggests that it was connected to mercury poisoning or Korsakoff's syndrome[dubious – discuss] experienced by hat-makers as a result of the long-term use of mercury products in the hat-making trade. In 18th and 19th century England, mercury was used in the production of felt, which was used in the manufacturing of hats common of the time. A late 19th-century example of the effect occurred with hatters in Danbury, Connecticut who developed a condition known locally as the Danbury Shakes. The condition was characterized by slurred speech, tremors, stumbling, and, in extreme cases, hallucinations.[

[trajectory]

You are right .
Mercury poisoning of hat-makers – A popular explanation of the phrase suggests that it was connected to mercury poisoning or Korsakoff's syndrome[dubious – discuss] experienced by hat-makers as a result of the long-term use of mercury products in the hat-making trade. In 18th and 19th century England, mercury was used in the production of felt, which was used in the manufacturing of hats common of the time. A late 19th-century example of the effect occurred with hatters in Danbury, Connecticut who developed a condition known locally as the Danbury Shakes. The condition was characterized by slurred speech, tremors, stumbling, and, in extreme cases, hallucinations.[

Thought it was.

Think it did for a few metal decorators too....there was a dangerous guilding process that used gold & mercury.

[Turnup]

The risks associated with lead poisoning stem from soluble organic lead compounds entering (or being formed in) the body. Elemental lead does not readily form these compounds when it is in "lumps" such as bullets or pellets, even if ingested whole. Very finely divided lead does react to form soluble organic compunds more readily and it is here where the risks are.

Finely divided lead is generated by abrasion of skin against bullets or pellets so handling these can leave fine lead on the skin. Wash your hands after handling lead, and particularly before eating or smoking. Most bullets have a coating of wax or other lube which provides something of a barrier between skin and the lead itself. Many muzlzle loading balls and airgun pellets have no such barrier layer.

The other major source of finely divided lead for shooters is on indoor ranges. The heat and pressures created inside the chamber cause some of the lead to vaporise and this rapidly condenses into very fine particles as the gasses exit the barrel. This is particularly hazardous as inhalation of same will deposit very fine lead particles in the lungs where they enter the bloodstream. This is why indoor ranges shouhd have forced ventilation flowing down the range and away from the shooter. That grey dust which is found in all indoor ranges is fine lead particles which have condensed out from the muzzle gasses. This is also the source of that hard grey deposit found inside moderators. So when shooting on an indoor range allow a little time for those particles downrange to settle out or be swept away by the ventilation. I do not believe thast airguns generate much in the way of lead vapour except when impacting hard surfaces such as in pellet traps but this will condense and settle rapidly, presenting more of a contact hazard than an inhalation hazard.

Do not eat on the range. Do not smoke on the range. Wash your hands after shooting as they will pick up this dust when changing targets or moving items about the range.

Lead casting has obvious risks from lead vapour. Ventilate well and preferably in the open air.

If soluble lead compounds enter the body they will migrate to the bone marrow and remain there for a very long time so the body burden is cumulative.

[bighit]

Thought it was.

Think it did for a few metal decorators too....there was a dangerous guilding process that used gold & mercury.

Mercury was used in gold mining and still is in some countries.


Quote

In mines, mercury is used to recover minute pieces of gold that is mixed in soil and sediments. Mercury and gold settle and combine together to form an amalgam. Gold is then extracted by vaporizing the mercury. ... Prolonged and high exposure to mercury by inhalation damages the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

[rockdrill]

Mercury was used in gold mining and still is in some countries.

Quote

In mines, mercury is used to recover minute pieces of gold that is mixed in soil and sediments. Mercury and gold settle and combine together to form an amalgam. Gold is then extracted by vaporizing the mercury. ... Prolonged and high exposure to mercury by inhalation damages the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

Cyanide is also used in gold mining, particularly useful in heap leach operation for dissolving gold out of otherwise low grade ore that could not achieve viable recovery by other methods.