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Blood test for lead came back high
- Thread starter Fixingcars
- Start date
Shoot suppressed a lot? Once I suppressed my AR, even with a gas redirecting charging handle and a captured H2 buffer spring assembly, every shot was a puff of cancer and lead into my eyes and mouth and to be expected shooting a normal right side ejecting AR left handed. So I went and got a left handed upper and bolt and that took care of it.
It's the purple gloves you use. If you had blue ones we wouldn't laugh so hard
I always stock up when Harbor Freight has them on sale and usually post it in the Deals and Steals thread
I’m running low on my purple gloves! Got some cheaper black gloves but I need more purple gloves. It’s my signature accessory known on NES 
I have box of gloves there but never use them. But I wash hands through the process. I do not think it’s a lot of lead you get through skin, but dry tumbling and then separating media from brass- that is for sure a sucky step and at winter time it is all indoors.
Even in the winter I do it outdoors. The media separator I have is enclosed and you spin it to separate. I do all of that outside. I will take the brass out inside when I’m inspecting the brass
Brass Tumbler Kit | 5 Gallon Bucket Sifter
Our Media Separator Kits come in two options, one with media separator and one with a 5 gallon bucket and sifter. Both come with 6lbs of corn media and polish.
www.berrysmfg.com
Varmint
NES Member
I assume normal blood tests don’t screen for lead, you need a lead test? If so I’ve no idea my lead level.
Malden was MUCH better Dorchester. That range was terrible.
You need to ask your doctor to request it when you get blood work. They usually are confused until you tell them why you are concerned.
That's the one that I used.
Yes you will have to ask your primary care doctor to do it. It isn’t typically done.
Martinilover
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Correct- you need to specifically ask for it. If you shoot inside, it’s a smart thing to ask for.
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My first gun club was 1/4 mile from my house and I used to shoot pistol extensively (all lead bullets) every Sunday in the indoor range. Essentially that range had no air flow. For 2-3 days after shooting, every time I blew my nose, lots of black crud was the result. Mitigation was discussed a few times, but nothing was ever done. They ran NRA 3-gun every month, had a very active pistol league, etc. Finally, for this reason and some internal politics, I quit that club after 24 years (in 2000) and joined Braintree R&P which has a very well maintained HEPA system.
A number of years later I ran into the pistol league chairman from my first club at BR&P. He told me that he had reportable lead levels from shooting there! I don't know what MA gov does with reports from doctors of patients with high lead levels, but nothing ever changed at that club.
A number of years later I ran into the pistol league chairman from my first club at BR&P. He told me that he had reportable lead levels from shooting there! I don't know what MA gov does with reports from doctors of patients with high lead levels, but nothing ever changed at that club.
skin is actually quite good, if you have no other conditions, for preventing poisons into your body. just need to have enough mental control to remember not to shove poison covered fingers into anything else while they are, well, poisonous.
but inhaling lead covered dust from the cleaning media is quite real. to do it outside like andrew does is the best idea, but, laziness prevails, of course.
other part, well, to throw away dirty media is a more problematic topic, as it is just as annoying of a process. i even have enough of fresh one, but just after this exchange yesterday forced myself to empty out old content that was pretty black and was in there for probably an year at least. and i have clean media for at least 3 more refills. no excuse, just laziness.
We have a couple of guys at my club that have tested high for lead. They were both regular attendees at the weekly indoor work party that cleans the indoor range including sweeping the rubber backstop media back up onto the berm and emptying the spent brass cans and sorting the brass (removing aluminum and steel cases). They started wearing good quality masks with filters and washing up with de lead soap after finishing up for the night.
If they think that, they probably don't reload.
I also wear gloves. Keeps all the lube, powder and junk off my hands. Easier to throw a glove away when I need to step out than having to wash my hands every time because I can't touch anything without getting it dirty.
And most doctors will tell you to screw. I called around, no one gave a sh*t. I ended up paying something like $50 for a lab to do it.
This was maybe 3 or 4 years ago.
I made a post on NES, and most sided with the doctors, that there was no need for them to order a test if I was healthy, or something like that.
Do you recall who you ended up using to get the test? This seems like an easy option:And most doctors will tell you to screw. I called around, no one gave a sh*t. I ended up paying something like $50 for a lab to do it.
This was maybe 3 or 4 years ago.
I made a post on NES, and most sided with the doctors, that there was no need for them to order a test if I was healthy, or something like that.
Lead Test | Lead Blood Test for Exposure | Quest®
Buy a lead exposure test online with Quest®. No doctor’s visit is required – simply purchase, and access lead toxicity testing at a nearby location.
www.questhealth.com
It was either Quest or Personalabs.Do you recall who you ended up using to get the test? This seems like an easy option:
Lead Test | Lead Blood Test for Exposure | Quest®
Buy a lead exposure test online with Quest®. No doctor’s visit is required – simply purchase, and access lead toxicity testing at a nearby location.
I rememebr I payed online, showed up to a building and they did the test. I had the results a few days later.
Edit: found the Email. It was in 2019, Personalabs. I haven't used them since then.
Fixingcars
NES Member
Yeah, my doctor was initially slightly hesitant to do the testing too. I felt a little vindicated asking for it when my levels came back high.And most doctors will tell you to screw. I called around, no one gave a sh*t. I ended up paying something like $50 for a lab to do it.
This was maybe 3 or 4 years ago.
I made a post on NES, and most sided with the doctors, that there was no need for them to order a test if I was healthy, or something like that.
At this point I'm thinking everyone who shoots at least semi regularly and especially if you are a reloader, should be testing yearly. If your doctor wont do it as part of your physical, $50-$75 a year out of pocket is a drop in the bucket for what we spend on everything else to keep track of your lead levels and your health.
Looks like it is $52 at Quest diagnostics which are pretty common here in MA.
Lead Test | Lead Blood Test for Exposure | Quest®
Buy a lead exposure test online with Quest®. No doctor’s visit is required – simply purchase, and access lead toxicity testing at a nearby location.
www.questhealth.com
