Reloading safety- Exposure

[Palladan44]

Anyone ever wonder if their reloading hobby exposes them to harmful substances?
I know enough about HazMat stuff from my profession to know that there is more to it than just the short term. I know a few exposures to any given substance are tolerable.....but how about repeated exposures over long periods of time? These are the ones that are more difficult to study, more difficult to prove and thus can't prove the existence of an exposure.

I wonder about specific substances and what hazards they could pose.

1) Lead (I limit my lots of cast lead loading to one larger batch at a time, then clean the equipment to limit lead exposure) I load plated bullets for the bulk of my semi-auto training rounds, which I load on a weekly basis. Again, this is what I do because it makes me more comfortable.

2) Powder dust- I notice this makes it way around after loading a few hundred rounds, light dust or static cling attaches itself to funnel, and at base of the shellplate. I clean this up periodically

3) Primer dust- Both from spent primers and new primers- I wipe out primer flip tray once every month or so..primer dust slowly accumulates in here. I clean out spent primer cup on my 550B every time I load.

4) Case tumbling- I now have a friend with a wet tumbler handle this in large batches, and I also buy 9mm, 38/357 and 10mm brass from him already deprimed and cleaned in large lots which eliminates some dirty work. Having a dry tumbler adjacent to my reloading area was a fairly dirty task.

Ventilation is something that is fairly difficult to achieve in a basement. I know that it's advised to load in a "well ventilated" area. This probably means that air that is slightly moving is better than still air....I will admit I probably don't load In a "well ventilated" area...

Any insight appreciated.
Any illnesses reported from exposures to handloading or factory workers loading ammunition?

 

[mdi]

I have been reloading for over 40 years (closer to 50) and truely think the OP is overthinking the "safety subject". I reloaded 12+ years before I started tumbling, handling once fired and range pickups brass and depriming tens of thousands of cases. I have been dry tumbling for over 30 years and I don't stand over my tumbler/wobbler doing my deep breathing exercised so no "dust" poblems. I started casting in about '92 (besided making sinkers since I was 12). Annual blood testing (employer provided) showed no lead/heavy metals contamination above normal. I have, reloaded in many different locations before I got a dedicated shop; dining room table, back porch, picnic table in back yard, on tailgate of my PU, and a tin garden shed. A 200 MPH wind is not needed for ventilation as I often used a 6" fan w/clamp. My health issues at 74 are not from reloading "contamination", and more from a 30 year bout of heavy drinking and accidents (I rode a motorcycle in LA traffic for 25+ years, and worked on heavy construction equipment for 25 years).

That's my long term experience with "dangers of reloading and health". Of course you can do anything you feel necessary to "protect" yourself, but I think a lot of the "safety" threads are "Chicken Little" thinking that get repeated and "grow" and some would seem to suggest a full hazmat suit with leather gauntlets and boots along with self contained breathing apparatus in a negatively ventillated, sealed room.

I have used plain common sense and don't chew on a freshly cast bullet, don't do deep greathing exercises over my tumbler or casting pot. I wash my hands after a casting/reloading session and use a small fan with open windows/doors. I have been exposed to many more "toxic" items in every day house cleaning, hobbies using oils and various chemicals (asbestos from auto parts) and aerosol cans of paint, WD40 style lubricants, etc., more times than I have been exposed to "toxic" (?) reloading/casting materials, and I have not experienced any of the concerns mentioned by the OP (I even worked downtown Los Angeles for 20 years, in a non air conditioned shop).

So if you are comfortable with your "health standards for reloading", by all means go ahead...

 

[Ranger99]

JMHO- the biggest hazard in any loading
related activity is melting and casting
lead indoors.
I hear of a lot of people that do all their
lead work indoors, and I don't think you
can get even near enough ventilation with
an open window or whatever
Of course, it's all up to the individual

 

[lightman]

Exposure to hazardous materials certainly bears thought. I try to compromise between common sense and overkill.

When I deprime brass I catch the fired primers in the primer catcher tray and carefuly dump them into a dedicated wide mouth container with a lid. I try to not stir them up to make dust. I occasionally wipe the press and workbench top off with an oily rag and then toss it.

When I'm handling bullets I make it a point to not wipe my mouth, lips or eyes. I wash my hands before visiting the rest room.

When I cast or smelt scrap I'm careful to not breath the fumes from the junk that can be on wheelweights or from fluxing. I smelt scrap lead and cast bullets in my shop. But I run 2 large exhaust fans that probably changes the air every few minutes. And I make it a point to stay up wind of the melt. I also exercise the same hygiene of not touching my eyes, lips, ect.

When working with hot lead I wear long pants worn outside of boots, long sleeve shirts, gloves and safety glasses. The clothing is made from natural fibers like cotton although I still have some FR clothing from work. I keep an ice chest nearby with cold water and a few wet towels, just in case of a burn. I also have fire extinguishers in the shop.

I wear safety glasses when removing live primers but usually don't when loading ammo. When handling powder or when loading I don't worry much about dust. I do keep any spilled powder cleaned up.

I usually wet tumble and there is no dust. But I still have a couple of dry tumblers. When filling or dumping them I try to stay up wind of any dust. I also run them in the doorway of the garage or shop.

I guess the bottom line is common sense and good personal hygiene!

 

[Mark_Mark]

I tumble outside then sift with a n95 (a real n95) mask

 

[Bazoo]

I cast indoors with a box fan in the window just above my pot. My lead levels were 5 last time they were checked. Down from 8. It had been up from 4 because I was putting my flashlight in my mouth during working. I stopped that and my numbers came back down.

I use my tumbler outside and separate casings from media outside. That makes a plume of dust. I don't wear a mask, but I hold my breath if I'm in the dust cloud.

I'm not overly cautious though. I change my clothes and take a shower when done reloading or casting or shooting, because I have a toddler. His levels were up to 12, as all I was doing was washing my hands and changing my shirt. Now they are down to 3.

 

[stonebuster]

I dry tumble outside or in garage doorway and wear surgical gloves when reloading. Wash hands after shooting or reloading. Since I get blood tests every couple months, maybe I'll have them test for lead next time since I do shoot at the indoor range once a week.

 

[Charlie98]

overthinking the "safety subject".

I kind of agree. I'm not saying disregard safety... that's foolish... but reasonable attention to safety and safe loading practices makes sense. Just like the 'which cartridge is best' debate, the amount of acceptable risk is up to the individual and their particular circumstance.

 

[eyeshot]

I am moving my decapping to the garage. All depriming and case cleaning (vibrator) will done there. I'll will still wet wipe things down as needed, inside and out. A mask outside during the tumbling process is a given.

OP. It doesn't hurt to be cautious.

 

[LiveLife]

Anyone ever wonder if their reloading hobby exposes them to harmful substances?

Yes and personally experienced elevated blood lead level high enough to be reported to Public Health Department with follow up monitoring until returned to normal.

My primary source of lead was inhaling lead/primer dust while shooting at indoor range and picking up brass from range floor (And not from handling lead bullets for reloading). I now sort/process and dry tumble range brass outdoors with plenty of ventilation.

If you shoot and pick up brass at indoor range, check this out -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ealth-information.307170/page-10#post-9544358

Steps I took to return elevated blood lead level back to normal - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lead-poisoning-valuable-health-information.307170/page-10#post-9616073

What worked to lower blood lead level from 12 to 8 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ealth-information.307170/page-12#post-9625420

 

[Thomasss]

When ever I cast or handload, pistol and rifle, I always wash well before and afterwards. I avoid eating or drinking and certainly no smoking. I cast in the garage with cross ventilation and the big door open. Since I started casting, I always ask my doc to included lead testing with my annual physical and it has always come back normal. You might consider changing your clothes too after doing your hobby especially if you have kids in the house.

 

[Ranger99]

. . .I guess the bottom line is common sense and good personal hygiene!

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 

[mdi]

Do any have a Haz-Mat shower in your reloading room or just outside the door? Do you disinfect the household toilet after every use?

 

[Dudedog]

I dry tumble outside or in garage doorway and wear surgical gloves when reloading. Wash hands after shooting or reloading. Since I get blood tests every couple months, maybe I'll have them test for lead next time since I do shoot at the indoor range once a week.

Good idea to do it.
I had blood lead level issues I traced to the indoor range where I used to shoot.
My levels were really high.
Indoor ranges can be done right but when looking into it it appears a lot of them out there are not done right, or well maintained.

Yes and personally experienced elevated blood lead level high enough to be reported to Public Health Department with follow up monitoring until returned to normal.

Been there, done that.....

 

[Mk-211]

I think people having issues with high levels of lead in their blood, could be that they're more susceptible to it.

When I reload, process brass... I wash my hands with cold water. Does that help, not sure but I would think it would. Once I get most of the dirt and grime off, I switch to warm water.

I also don't touch my face, eat or do anything else that might cause contamination to another body part. That or any other tool, accessory... that I might use later or someone else might pick up.

As has been said already, just use common sense and you'll be okay.

 

[The Glockodile]

https://www.google.com/search?q=lead+exposure+cognitive+decline&oq=lead+exposure+cognitive+decline

Once you get to it, you'll probably be too dumb to realize that you've leaded up your brain...

Totally warrier

 

[AgPilot]

I’m an Ag Pilot and deal with “Dangerous “ chemicals every day. I no more worry about exposing Myself to reloading items than I do the chemicals I deal with every day. I use common sense. I don’t drink the chemicals nor do I eat the powder I’m loading. Cheers.

 

[792mauser]

The worst offender is dry tumbling. The amount of dust released is impressive when using anything that releases dust.

Casting is second. If done outdoors it's isn't so much a danger if you wash your hands after. You and your kids are not putting your lawnmower in your mouth. (I hope but I've been wrong before)

Just do the dirty parts outside and wash your hands and you'll be fine.
I've been reloading and casting in some way for almost 25 years. A d my lead levels are good.

 

[film495]

never really thought about this, but - if you put a modern HEPA filter in your reloading room, is that fine enough to catch dust and chemicals from reloading.

 

[LiveLife]

never really thought about this, but - if you put a modern HEPA filter in your reloading room, is that fine enough to catch dust and chemicals from reloading.

No. You want to VENT the contaminated air to OUTSIDE instead of circulating it with hope of filtering percentage of circulating air (Think about accumulation factor over time all over the house HVAC vents are located ).

If you are not sure if you have lead contamination, buy lead test swab kit to test your brass processing and reloading areas. (Keep in mind that most of your lead dust intake will come from primers and inhaling lead dust while you pick up brass close to indoor range floor bent over without protection - You can choose to wear lead dust rated 3M respirator if that's the case).

But better solution if you are reloading inside the house is to eliminate the lead dust from entering the house in the first place by:

• Sort dirty range brass outside in well ventilated area
• Deprime outside in well ventilated area
• Dry tumble brass and sift media outside in well ventilated area
• Wet tumble brass to reduce lead exposure even further

Of course, taking off lead dust contaminated clothing and washing your hands/arms after shooting/before eating goes without saying.

 

[bullseye308]

Personally I have never worried too much about it. Do your dry tumbling outside and stand upwind of it. Put a used cut up dryer sheet in the media to help control the dust. Don’t play in or drink the water from the wet tumbler. Don’t eat while casting, I do smoke while casting, and used to put lots of lead splitshot sinkers in my mouth to crimp them, but don’t eat them. Wash your hands after each task and just use common sense.

My lead levels have been checked for 20 years since I started casting and have never been an issue. I have melted a couple tons of lead over the years, processed over 1.5 million pieces of brass I picked up from ranges, and loaded close to a million rounds with no ill effects. I’ll be honest, my hygiene leaves a lot to be desired when I’m working or busy. I used to process brass or lead for half a day at a time some days and work straight through and smoke and snack the whole time and usually wash up after I’m done. Maybe I just have thick skin, I don’t know. Some folks are more susceptible than others, you just have to do what you feel is right for you and your family if you have one. You decide what risks you are willing to accept, where you draw the line, or if you are even going to worry about it. If you are really worried about it, a good lead dust mask, gloves, and a disposable gown could be for you all the way to t-shirt, flip flops, cigarette hanging from your mouth, and a sammich on the bench if you have no worries or anywhere in between. Find your comfort level and research for yourself to see just how much or how little you should worry about things in life, and don’t stress what doesn’t warrant it.

 

[film495]

this isn't specific to reloading, but it has interesting information how to clean lead dust
Microsoft Word - 3E8B1B51-4EE0-204488.doc (maine.gov)

 

[JD Fla1]

I think lead exposure could be fatal if you overcharge your .308 cases. I'm cautious of that.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I think lead exposure could be fatal if you overcharge your .308 cases. I'm cautious of that.

I had to think about that one!!

 

[EricBu]

Yeah, you have some legit concerns. The two big worries are ingesting/absorbtion and breathing the lead carried in the dust. Ingesting/absorbtion: handling cast bullets for an hour while picking your nose, then eating a sammitch. As a bonus you might leave lead on the remaining lunch meat and cheese for your kids/spouse to ingest as well. So....use disposable gloves, and wash your hands after finishing a session. Once you get used to it, you can load just fine with latex gloves. Then toss 'em when your done. Breathing......big risk here is from your fired brass. Your tumbling media etc. Also, using air to clean your press, and the area around it. In a normal, well ventilated room, not so big a deal, in a basement, or a small poorly ventilated interior room, or a shed, over time you will be exposed to lead in the dust you're breathing in. May not notice for 20 years......then find yourself with a host of weird ailments. Hell, docs may never even figure out what's wrong with you...until you mention your lead exposure. For this, while working with extra dusty stuff....cleaning brass, or using air to clean guns or presses.....I wear a K99 mask...cheap, comfortable, works. I also have a air filter with a heppa filter and a active carbon filter that I run 24/7 in the loading room. Don't use the compressor to blow out that filter, lol......just replace the carbon filter every month, and knock the main dust off the heppa outside while wearing your K99. Simple prevention can prevent a LOT of downstream pain in your later years.