Just curious if any of you guys ever had issues with elevated lead levels from your shooting or shooting related activities. Outside of actually getting shot, have you ever had lead poisoning? 8-)

 

A few yrs ago, during a routine physical, I asked the Dr. to check my blood lead levels. He was surprised at my request but did it anyway..

 

When he got the results, he said he did notice that my lead levels were slightly higher than what they should be.

May have been due to shooting primarily at an indoor range (Ray's) and cleaning my stuff everytime after I shoot.

Now I try not to shoot as much and clean with non-latex gloves on.

 

What do you guys do to reduce your exposure?

I think that you are getting more lead from the water that you are drinking than from

the related hobby. It takes a good many years to accumulate that from shooting.

Out of sheer curiosity I did the same thing at my last physical. My levels were fine.

 

The main concern would be shooting regularly at a poorly ventilated indoor range, but I prefer shooting outside anyway. Why the preference for non-latex gloves?

I think that you are getting more lead from the water that you are drinking than from

the related hobby. It takes a good many years to accumulate that from shooting.

 

Other than shooting, I don't know what else would've caused it. No one else in my house had any issues. I don't think I was munching on lead paint or anything..

 

Out of sheer curiosity I did the same thing at my last physical. My levels were fine.

 

The main concern would be shooting regularly at a poorly ventilated indoor range, but I prefer shooting outside anyway. Why the preference for non-latex gloves?

 

How often do you shoot / clean your firearms?

I'm using the gloves so that the solvent and residue, soot, etc doesn't get on my hands. Non-latex because some of the solvents wreak havoc on latex / rubber based materials.

Out of sheer curiosity I did the same thing at my last physical. My levels were fine.

 

The main concern would be shooting regularly at a poorly ventilated indoor range, but I prefer shooting outside anyway. Why the preference for non-latex gloves?

 

There is also a small possibility that you can develop a severe (sometimes life threatening) allergic reaction from exposure to latex. This was happening with health care workers a few years ago.

 

Today, the non-latex gloves are so cheap and available, its uncommon to still see them in the health care setting (In my experience anyways).

 

I personally like the nitrile gloves the best. But I'm not active in the medical field anymore.

It never....It never.....It never....It never....It never b-b-b-b-bothered me me me.

lex - I shoot about twice a month, always at an outdoor range, except in winter. I clean after each trip to the range.

 

I've always used nitrile gloves based on some now forgotten recommendation.

this has been a recent issue for me and i have switched to lead safe bullets and i am shooting all my lead bullets up.