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Lol cgn scientists 
Better luck hitting a drunk chick with a dart at Sunday school
Better luck hitting a drunk chick with a dart at Sunday school
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I played around with a lot of lead when I was a kid/young man and grew up to be a research scientist ... so there is hope. Still, probably good to use appropriate caution to avoid ingestion.
As a kid I used solder and built electronic circuits. I picked up wheel weights and 'mined' bullets out of a tree that was a popular target backstop, melted lead and cast sinkers for fishing. And I shot .22 and 12 ga., hunted squirrels and deer. Admittedly, most of this stuff was when I was teen but I did start earlier with soldering.
There is a lot of ill-founded fear, I believe, about the relative threats of various sources of lead and this has been used as cover by groups with ulterior motives, for example, to shut down shooting ranges. So you may understand why some people suspect trolling.
I wouldn't want my child chewing on bullets or exposed to dust from reloading or bullet casting operations but I would think a kid would get way more exposure to dust from the highway (from years of leaded gasoline use) than from your shooting.Comment
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When we're talking about hazardous substances, we need to know the routes of exposure relevant to the toxin. In the case of lead, the routes of exposure are ingestion or inhalation but not touch.
When you shoot a bullet with exposed lead, even fmj with lead exposed at the back, there is a chance some lead dust can get in the air. This is why I prefer outdoor ranges, but I'll also shoot at very well ventilated indoor ranges sometimes. However, even if you don't breathe the lead dust in, it will form a layer all over you, so don't touch food until thoroughly washing hands. Also don't touch your face or your baby's face, because that could leave some lead dust under the nose or around the mouth which can eventually be ingested or inhaled.Comment
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Aside from the anecdotal comments/posts on this thread, lead poisoning can be a problem.
First and foremost, get yourself tested and get your kids/family tested. Doing periodically. Keep track. Without knowing the actual lead levels, you will not know if your shooting has any affect on your child's health or not. Or your's for that matter.
*IF* your levels are high or your children's levels are high, the State will contact your doctor. Request your doctor for absolute confidentiality. That's what I had to do in my case. I can't remember what my levels were, but they were high. I got a letter in the mail, my doctor got calls. My doctor asked me if it was o.k. to release info to the State and I declined. I was o.k. telling her why my levels were high, but that's as far as I wanted it to go.
You're doing a good job of preventing contamination. It's more than just shooting. It's where you clean. How you clean up afterwards. Are you using Hoppe's No 9? Now THAT is some crazy nasty stuff. Use Ballistol or Breakfree CLP. They're non-toxic. Like you said, it could be on the floor etc. It could be in the garage. It is on the range bag and anything else that gets contaminated.
Remember, not all bodies are affected in the same way to lead. Some people have a higher sensitivity to it.
Keep track. Take precautions. If you see the levels going up, take further action. But, unless you have those tests done, you won't know.
An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Happy shooting, be healthy and be safe.Les Baer 1911: Premier II w/1.5" Guarantee, Blued, No FCS, Combat Rear, F/O Front, Checkered MSH & SA Professional Double Diamond Grips
Springfield Armory XD-45 4" Service Model
Springfield Armory XD9 4" Service Model (wifes).
M&P 15 (Mine)Comment
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The NRA includes lead contamination as a discussion point within its training. This answer is about as spot on that discussion as I would have posted without getting into the weeds. When my kids were born, I did the same thing, made sure that I wasn't negatively impacting them with ANY of my activities, including shooting and instructing shooters.
Kudos to you for asking and you have a lot of good information here.Comment
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Agree with a lot of what XDJYo wrote but remember, it takes a lot more work to prove scientifically where a high lead load originated (might be other environmental exposure, occupational source, etc.).Comment
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The kids that get lead poisoning nibble regularly on lead-based paint chips. Your children will be fine. I shot a lot while my boys were growing up and they turned out healthy and about as normal as everyone else.sigpic
Originally posted by Lone_GunmanComment
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I was shooting A LOT of leaded 22 LR out of my Ruger 22/45 at an indoor range (Reeds in Santa Clara). Even though their ventilation system sounds like a freaking jumbo jet, it seemed to pull the smoke back at the shooter. At the time, I was foolish and didn't use any gloves when I cleaned my guns.
One thing we did do was to shower as soon as we got home and we washed our range clothes separately from the rest of our clothes so we wouldn't cross contaminate it with other clothes.
I also switched to an outdoor range. This was after Sandy Hook and ammo was REALLY scarce. So, shooting 45 ACP was almost $60/100. So, I was shooting a lot of 22 to make up the difference. (Had to shoot at least twice to make up for one 45 ACP! LOL!!!).
Anyways, my lead levels have gone down tremendously since then. My shooting has been curtailed a lot since those days too (family, work and other responsibilities), so I don't really worry too much about it now. But, once I start shooting more again, I'll get back to getting those tests done.Les Baer 1911: Premier II w/1.5" Guarantee, Blued, No FCS, Combat Rear, F/O Front, Checkered MSH & SA Professional Double Diamond Grips
Springfield Armory XD-45 4" Service Model
Springfield Armory XD9 4" Service Model (wifes).
M&P 15 (Mine)Comment
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