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Holy crap. This very much matches my experiences. I'm not military, but I used to shoot air rifles competitively in high school. I was definitely overexposed to

Holy crap. This very much matches my experiences. I'm not military, but I used to shoot air rifles competitively in high school. I was definitely overexposed to lead. I remember my fingers would literally be coated in lead, and I don't remember even once hearing that we should wash our hands after shooting. My experience with trying to get a medical professional to actually give a shit about the matter is exceptionally frustrating. Every doctor that I've ever spoken to have all come just short of laughing in my face when I try to self diagnose myself, and without exception, try to send me to get blood tests - which give no indication of lead poisoning except in recent exposure. I really just want some closure on this, since I know there's not much I can do treatment wise. Getting a doctor to take it seriously is an uphill battle...

Raphmedia 8y ago
A very good video that explains the effects of lead and puts it into a great context is Chubbyemu's. I used to know about the dangers of it but seeing a situation in details really brings home how dangerous it can be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHxEjINCAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHxEjINCAg
rdl 8y ago
One of the top firearms instructors globally (Massad Ayoob) is utterly paranoid about lead -- he has special range clothes/shoes, changes before getting into his vehicle in the way one would do with hazmat-contaminated clothing, and has the stuff commercially laundered outside his home. I think it's mainly out of concern for children/grandchildren in his home, but it was pretty impressive. I started keeping lead-removal wipes in all my range bags after this. The number of times I've seen people go through 500-1k rounds at the range in the morning during a class, then eat a sandwich or something without even washing hands, is..a lot.
- vorpalhex 8y ago
  I buy the lead-removal wipes in bulk and hand them out like candy. I also notice all the ranges near me keep lead removal soap in the bathrooms. .22 ammo is the worst in this regard, just lead everywhere - which given that it's usually used in bulk given how cheap it is...
  - rdl 8y ago
    This stuff, right? https://hygenall.com/shooting-sports/ https://hygenall.com/shooting-sports/ (I'm pretty much a 9mm shooter (124gr CCI/Speer TMJ Lawman 124gr, or Gold Dots -- or SIG Frangible when I'm at SIG Academy or TR; 5.56 ranging from cheap M193 to M855 to non-penetrator 62gr to 75gr or 77gr TAP or OTM/IMI Razorcore. I also run a fair bit of 12ga. Worst thing I do is a RH X95 bullpup, suppressed, in off-hand drills, which is basically all the exhaust in my face/neck area on every shot.)
pvaldes 8y ago
Had you experienced anger issues for no reason? is a common symptom. Miscarriages and premature births are another common problem with lead. Lead can be the cause of mental retardation and blindness in toddlers and babies also.
giardini 8y ago
Your fingers may have been coated with graphite, a common and harmless lubricant. Make the plunge and pay for a lead test that you'll trust and then be satisfied with the results if they come back OK. And remember that vitamin C increases excretion of lead in small furry mammals.
- bpchaps 8y ago
  Ah! Interesting point. I'll probably eventually do that. It's not exactly a high priority in life right now, though. Thankfully I eat a lot of oranges. :)

Raphmedia 8y ago

A very good video that explains the effects of lead and puts it into a great context is Chubbyemu's. I used to know about the dangers of it but seeing a situation in details really brings home how dangerous it can be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHxEjINCAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qHxEjINCAg

rdl 8y ago

One of the top firearms instructors globally (Massad Ayoob) is utterly paranoid about lead -- he has special range clothes/shoes, changes before getting into his vehicle in the way one would do with hazmat-contaminated clothing, and has the stuff commercially laundered outside his home. I think it's mainly out of concern for children/grandchildren in his home, but it was pretty impressive. I started keeping lead-removal wipes in all my range bags after this. The number of times I've seen people go through 500-1k rounds at the range in the morning during a class, then eat a sandwich or something without even washing hands, is..a lot.

vorpalhex 8y ago
I buy the lead-removal wipes in bulk and hand them out like candy. I also notice all the ranges near me keep lead removal soap in the bathrooms. .22 ammo is the worst in this regard, just lead everywhere - which given that it's usually used in bulk given how cheap it is...
- rdl 8y ago
  This stuff, right? https://hygenall.com/shooting-sports/ https://hygenall.com/shooting-sports/ (I'm pretty much a 9mm shooter (124gr CCI/Speer TMJ Lawman 124gr, or Gold Dots -- or SIG Frangible when I'm at SIG Academy or TR; 5.56 ranging from cheap M193 to M855 to non-penetrator 62gr to 75gr or 77gr TAP or OTM/IMI Razorcore. I also run a fair bit of 12ga. Worst thing I do is a RH X95 bullpup, suppressed, in off-hand drills, which is basically all the exhaust in my face/neck area on every shot.)

pvaldes 8y ago

Had you experienced anger issues for no reason? is a common symptom. Miscarriages and premature births are another common problem with lead. Lead can be the cause of mental retardation and blindness in toddlers and babies also.

giardini 8y ago

Your fingers may have been coated with graphite, a common and harmless lubricant. Make the plunge and pay for a lead test that you'll trust and then be satisfied with the results if they come back OK. And remember that vitamin C increases excretion of lead in small furry mammals.

bpchaps 8y ago
Ah! Interesting point. I'll probably eventually do that. It's not exactly a high priority in life right now, though. Thankfully I eat a lot of oranges. :)