11 ms·

Lead is still bad for your brain

217 points by lentoutcry 2y ago

damnitbuilds 2y ago
I live with children in a very old house. I would love to be able to measure my children's lead exposure and check things like window paint or house dust for lead content to see how big a problem there is. How do I do that?
- lmpdev 2y ago
  I was working part time in copper fabrication and had some potential lead exposure You can ask your doctor, it was just a blood test It was free but I’m Australian Came back zero
- rietta 2y ago
  You can request blood lead labs done through your doctor. People who work in industry and competition shooters and such will get that done to track.
  - nottorp 2y ago
    Competition shooters? They're not likely to touch lead, unless they fatally disobey shooting range safety rules. Now the people manufacturing the bullets for those competition shooters... they need lead tests.
    - lionkor 2y ago
      Doesn't some of the lead end up in the air?
    - rietta 2y ago
      It’s not obvious, but practice enough at indoor ranges or reload your own competition ammo long enough. I have heard firsthand accounts from shooters who at some point weren’t feeling well, got tested, and found out they needed to be a lot more careful with their lead exposure.
      - nottorp 2y ago
        Interesting. I'm obviously not from a shooting culture :)
        rietta 2y ago
        Don't be hard on yourself. None of us are born with this knowledge :-) If you ever shoot, just remember it is a really good idea to wash your hands afterwards (using the dlead soap if possible). It is not a bad idea to have a change of clothes and to wash your clothes right away as well.
    - mmillin 2y ago
      A small amount of lead makes its way out of the chamber in the form of dust and fumes after shooting. It’s quite easy to breath this in or get it on your hands and accidentally ingest it. Not enough to matter for someone who occasionally goes to the range, but significant for those shooting nearly daily, especially if shooting indoors.
      - adgjlsfhk1 2y ago
        the obvious solution is to switch to depleted uranium ammo
    - esseph 2y ago
      A lot of primers have lead, and the dust ends up in the air.
    - garbagewoman 2y ago
      The primers in the ammunition contain a lead compound
  - storf45 2y ago
    I’ve more recently have gotten into competition shooting and it is definitely something to be aware of because it can easily slip into concerning exposure levels. A Reddit group I’m in just had a guy find out he was over exposed. Here’s the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/nass/comments/1jtrzm7/lead_levels/ https://www.reddit.com/r/nass/comments/1jtrzm7/lead_levels/
    - rietta 2y ago
      Congratulations on getting into competition! I started competing and intentionally practicing to get better about 4 years ago after a long time of being a safe but casual shooter. In the last year I have won some major Glock-sponsored GSSF matches - 1st place Amateur out of 140 at their national championship Talladega, AL. One more win and they are going to bump me to master class. I do not reload my own ammo so I have less lead exposure there. I am very careful with my range routine though. I have dedicated cross trainer shoes as my range shoes that I put in a plastic bag in the trunk of the car on the way home. I wash my hands with the dlead soap right away (have wipes in my bag for outdoor use). Finally, I put my clothes directly in the wash when I get home to reduce tracking anything inside particularly since I have small children at home.
      - storf45 2y ago
        That's awesome and congrats on the success so far! Smart move on the lead precautions. I need to get some of the wipes for my bag!
- djohnston 2y ago
  There are test kits for at-home usecases like paint and stuff - I think they're pretty reliable. For exposure, you can get blood tests at your GP. They might be absurdly expensive if you're in America, but maybe next time you travel to Europe you can pay privately and get a better deal.
  - leguminous 2y ago
    Some US states require lead screening (blood tests) for babies and toddlers. In that case they are covered by insurance. My son has been tested once so far.
  - edwcross 2y ago
    I'm in Europe and I see no way to get such tests. Other than lying and saying that you are at risk of contamination ("My hobby was glassworking"), I never saw any kind of test that you could pay yourself. Everywhere the government says "100% reimbursed", but you cannot even order one by yourself unless you have a good reason. So, I don't even know if it's expensive or not.
    - giardini 2y ago
      A friend got a routine physical and blood screening last week and to my surprise it included testing for lead acetate. I've never seen that before.
      - giardini 2y ago
        Oops! Just found out that a lead acetate level test is for particular proteins and is NOT used to detect blood lead levels: https://microbenotes.com/lead-sulfide-test/#result-and-interpretation-of-lead-sulfide-test https://microbenotes.com/lead-sulfide-test/#result-and-inter...
  - jerlam 2y ago
    In the US, you can get a lead test directly through Quest Diagnostics, without going through your physician or insurance, if you are near a testing center. Probably costs less too.
- hyencomper 2y ago
  You can buy a Lead Test Kit and check it yourself https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-test-kits https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-test-kits
- oftenwrong 2y ago
  For the house, hire a professional inspector who will use an x-ray fluoresence meter and dust test strips. You want a professional because they will be more thorough, and check things that you would not know to check. To test your children's exposure, you can have their blood tested. They may very well be exposed from sources other than your house
- matthewdgreen 2y ago
  As the other commenter mentioned, you can buy at-home testing kits. But what you really want is to hire a lead testing and remediation company. We also live in an old house and we spent a huge amount of time applying "lead block" paint and replacing older windows (disastrous for lead dust because of the friction) and some older pipes. You may also want to test your outdoor soil, because older houses near roads will accumulate lead paint in soil due to years of traffic fumes, plus lead dust from the exterior of the house. Kids will sometimes eat dirt, don't ask me how I know. (Also: regular blood lead tests for your young kids! If you live in an older city this will be standard.) Also if you do any construction that disturbs old paint (demolition, window replacement) be careful to seal off the area using plastic, then clean it carefully with disposable wipes.
  - throwup238 2y ago
    > You may also want to test your outdoor soil, because older houses near roads will accumulate lead paint in soil due to years of traffic fumes, plus lead dust from the exterior of the house. You also want to do this if you're going to be growing anything edible in your front or back yard.
- theandrewbailey 2y ago
  While that's great, the downside is that if you know there's lead in your house, you are obligated to clean it up, no matter the cost. That's why when old houses are sold or rented, they come with pamphlets warning of lead exposure, unless they are certified free of lead, but few want to pay for that.
- PeterHolzwarth 2y ago
  If you wish to do some of your own tests, vs using a service, swab test kits have a reputation for being very poor quality and unreliable. This led this gal to start a kind of one-woman crusade on the topic: https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/dont-panic-these-lead-test-kits-do-not-work-for-testing-consumer-goods-you-might-as-well-tear-up-your-money-and-throw-it-in-the-trash/ https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/dont-panic-these-lead-test-k... She recommends the american brand Scitus for swab test kits.
  - ImHereToVote 2y ago
    Awesome. Thank you very much.
- schneems 2y ago
  Look for a lead abatement company. The surface test kits only test the surface. A dedicated company should have a X-ray device that can determine if there is lead that has been painted over. Also get soil tests since houses with lead paint will have been scraped and that leads to lead going into the soil around the house.
  - lolinder 2y ago
    > A dedicated company should have a X-ray device that can determine if there is lead that has been painted over. Isn't the risk of lead paint only relevant if it's exposed? So you should test any visible layer and any layer that later becomes visible, but deeply nested layers don't matter so much.
- pomian 2y ago
  Pottery stores usually have a "lead test" kit. Quite simple to use.
totetsu 2y ago
> If you know there’s lead somewhere in your community, try to get involved and push for programs that limit its removal. Programs that to have it removed? I think. Also what would it be like to go through life knowing you had lead disrupting your brain.
- rufus_foreman 2y ago
  >> Also what would it be like to go through life knowing you had lead disrupting your brain That's pretty much anyone born before 1980 or so. We breathed it every day and it coated every outdoor surface in every city.
throwaway98687 2y ago
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gregwebs 2y ago
This is a great article on the biology of lead exposure. Unfortunately on the exposure side research wasn’t done and it propagates the myth that lead exposure is only an issue for those with lead pipes or lead paint. It’s true that these are the main sources of severe lead exposure. However the article points out that there is no safe level of exposure to lead and these aren’t the main ways we are exposed to lead in the US anymore. Today we are mostly exposed by low level contamination and thankfully this usually results in only mildly elevated lead levels. In a toddler sticking things in the mouth this could be almost any object. For adults it is food and drinks and the objects we use to make them. I know this because my toddler had elevated lead levels even though our neighborhood never had lead paint and our water does not have lead (I tested the water coming out of our faucets). The US has few laws against lead contamination and they aren’t very stringent and there is little proactive enforcement. This non profit has ended up creating several recalls after reporting their own testing: https://tamararubin.com/category/recall/ https://tamararubin.com/category/recall/ Most of the recalls were products marketed for children such as baby bottles. But if a child eats off an adult plate there aren’t any laws against that being contaminated. Some actions you can take are: * test children’s lead levels and your own * make sure toddlers aren't playing with old toys (pre 1978 really risky, after 2010 is best) * stop buying things that have a prop 65 warning (I know prop 65 isn’t perfect, but it’s often a lead warning). * Remove risky objects like the above from your children’s classrooms. * For cooking and food and drinks use clear glass, stainless steel, and cast iron * avoid processed foods. There are a lot of particulars here about what is most likely to be high in lead. Chocolate, spices, salt, and cassava products are particularly high in heavy metals.
- dustincoates 2y ago
  There can even be lead in fruit pouches: https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/news/outbreak-applesauce-pouches.html https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/news/outbreak-applesauce... I'm far from crunchy, but this led me to start making my kids pouches. They're more expensive per pouch, which was a bit surprising, but it has the side benefits that we make the pouches together (quality time) and I can control what goes in (e.g., spinach, carrots, broccoli).
  - 2y ago
Reason077 2y ago
> “even if we were to completely stop mining for and using lead (which we aren’t, since the lead-acid battery market is projected to increase in the next years” I’m surprised by this. Modern cars (EVs, at least) have started replacing their 12V lead batteries with Li-ion, which are more durable, store much more energy, and of course are less toxic. But in any case, isn’t the one advantage of lead-acid batteries their recyclability? Don’t 99%+ of lead batteries get recycled into new lead batteries? Surely there can’t be all that much new lead being mined for batteries?
- wffurr 2y ago
  Most EVs have a 12V lead acid battery for standby power and to buffer the 12V accessory system. The solenoids to the traction battery are open when parked and the 12V battery closes them when the car is started. This does mean you might actually need a “jump start” for an EV if the 12V battery is drained, eg from leaving a light on or a fault in the 12V charging system.
  - Reason077 2y ago
    Yes, EVs still have a 12V battery, but it’s not always lead acid. Tesla, for example, switched from lead acid to Li-ion 12V batteries in all their models several years ago. So have Porsche, even in combustion models I believe.
    - philjohn 2y ago
      They are a lot more expensive though, at least aftermarket.
      - Reason077 2y ago
        Yes but you have to replace them much less often. Kind of like LED vs incandescent light bulbs.
        philjohn 2y ago
MisterTea 2y ago
Radiation shielding. There's a lot of it in industry involving electron beam processing which produces x-rays. From printing machines using EB set ink, welding, melting, cross-linking, etc. A lot of those machines are lead shielded. Even at particle accelerator labs I've walked past stacks of lead bricks around beam lines (esp around the injector) Sucks that there's so much use for something so dangerous. Amazing the perils we have both dug up and invented in the pursuit of progress which is ultimately just making money.
TheRealQueequeg 2y ago
[flagged]
icameron 2y ago
>Now, acute effects of lead exposure are pretty clear. If someone were to chomp down on a piece of lead, it would result in seizures, coma, and possibly death. Tell that to anglers. Chomping down on lead is how to put weights on the line.
tentacleuno 2y ago
Interestingly, Lead is still used in fuel for small aircraft. It's called avgas 100LL (Low Lead). I do worry about the effects of the fuel, given lead's health effects at low exposure levels.
londons_explore 2y ago
Did you know, the world still mines more lead now than it did 50 years ago, at the peak of 'put lead in everything' mania? To me, this says that we still put lead in too many things. Lead is still used for flashing in roofs. It's still used as a mould release when making plastics. It's still used in making dishware. It's still used in bullets. It's still used for all kinds of things which will one day end up in the environment and someone's drinking water.
- deadbabe 2y ago
  When I posted here about how lead pipes during the Roman Empire was bad for the people I was met with a torrent of downvotes right here on Hackernews saying it wasn’t that bad. I’m not optimistic about the future.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Gigachad 2y ago
    I feel the same about leaded solder for hobby electronics.
    - alnwlsn 2y ago
      At least leaded soldering wire is mostly contained in a large chunk, but I really don't like leaded solder paste. Which is like leaded peanut butter, and easily spread around. All the new parts are designed based on a lead free process anyways, so you might as well get used to working with lead-free solder to begin with.
      - djmips 2y ago
        Unless you work on vintage gear...
  - apercu 2y ago
    I'm sure that contributed to some of the insanity, but they also cooked down wine in lead pots (sapa or defrutum) which caused lead to leach and act as a sweetener. I think they also used this in cooking but this is all from memory so trust but verify!
deleted 2y ago
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jvanderbot 2y ago
There's a "acceptable minimum level of lead" in most processed foods such as baby food. This is because food cannot be heavily processed without some heavy metals leeching in, according to a food safety guy who is a long time friend. It is completely mind boggling we let that happen.
- avalys 2y ago
  What do you think the regulatory standard should be set to? It is currently set to 10 ppb (parts per billion). Do you think it should be 0? 0.0000 ppb? No detectable lead whatsoever? What do you do if detection technology improves and the minimum detectable level decreases? Even if you go live totally off the grid with your child and grow your own vegetables in your backyard with completely natural ingredients, you will still end up with some level of lead - which is a natural ingredient itself, after all. At some point, you have to set a threshold and say that any lead below this level is not worth the cost of removing it or avoiding it. Would you pay 10x more for baby food at a 1 ppb level instead of 10 ppb? Do you think that would produce a net benefit for society?
  - Robotbeat 2y ago
    Granite has lead at levels of 30,000ppb, fwiw. Lead is a naturally occurring mineral. the only way to fully eliminate lead would be to live in a fully synthetic environment, everything grown hydroponically, etc. https://www.science.smith.edu/~jbrady/petrology/igrocks-tools/average-compositions.php https://www.science.smith.edu/~jbrady/petrology/igrocks-tool...
    - FalseNutrition 2y ago
      Not only that. Life accumulated those over the eons, as the rocks eroded, the useful metals got saved by life, and the rest was washed down. So the natural levels are way higher. Life is good at hoarding these "heavy metals". People in this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43631251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43631251 have been arguing that these people must have been some top class elite, and I totally get it. They are too good looking. But, that's how it was. The typical of the past would be above celebrity looks today. A lot of curent idols look stunted in comparison.
FalseNutrition 2y ago
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- DonHopkins 2y ago
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  - FalseNutrition 2y ago
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    - DonHopkins 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - FalseNutrition 2y ago
        I wrote a longer comment, but it got flagged, so I deleted it, and wrote that one. My position is that lead toxicity seems to be a conspiracy theory, rather than a real thing, the evidence for it is bizarre, and doesn't make any sense, and lead in fact seems to belong where it goes. That is, it's essential, and people are increasingly weak, dumb, and even have deformities because it has been removed. This comment was instantly downvoted.
        DonHopkins 2y ago
        [flagged]
        FalseNutrition 2y ago
        It wasn't sarcastic, I tried to make people read it, and see that it's nonsense. edit: I don't know why you reply by editing your comment like this. I'm not proposing any conspiracy theory, I'm claiming that lead toxicity is a conspiracy theory. Its proponents kicked out the original experts, forced lead removal, and people are now sick as the result, because the experts were right, and the normal levels were in fact normal. There is nothing much to agree or disagree with in the paper, because it's entirely nonsensical. He pulls out random numbers, and makes an illogical conclusion supposedly based on them. >The approximate fractions of alkaline earths absorbed by the intestine upon ingestion are: calcium 50%; strontium 25%; and barium 5%. If the alimentary absorption factor for lead in food is similar to that for barium, the amount of lead naturally absorbed by man is... And it's the entire paper like this. Edit2: No, it isn't because I don't uderstand it. I can read scientific papers, and this doesn't even look or read as one. It's nonsense written by a geochemist who went crazy. Edit3: No, you can't randomly assume something, and base your conclusions on that. How did you get that idea?
DonHopkins 2y ago
There are people who think it suddenly stopped being bad for your brain? They must be chewing on paint.
- Gigachad 2y ago
  The article is more about the fact that the exposure risk hasn’t gone away after banning it in fuel and paint, and that it’s still everywhere and contaminated the soil.
  - DonHopkins 2y ago
    [flagged]
aziaziazi 2y ago
What methodology is used for lead testing ? I eared about blood sampling but that quote from the article make me wonder the effectiveness: > the half-life of lead in the blood (meaning the amount of time needed for the concentration to drop to half) is relatively short, at only 28 days, that’s not the same as the half-life in the body. Some of the lead in the blood will not be eliminated, but it will actually go into the soft tissue, i.e. kidneys, liver, brain, where the half-life is a few months, and more annoyingly, into the bones, where the half-life is between 10 to 30 years. What’s more, from here, lead can leach back into the bloodstream, from where it can once again get into the soft tissue and cause more damage
camilla41511 2y ago
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Liftyee 2y ago
I've always wondered about whether I've been affected by this due to various known sources that I (mis)handled in times past. Are there any pragmatic steps I can take to reduce/reverse any effect?
- djmips 2y ago
  Someone said to look into cilantro... Hopefully grown without lead contamination... That's all I got.
forestmyth 2y ago
[flagged]
Animats 2y ago
"The answer is high-octane gasoline!"[1] [1] https://youtu.be/yiJFVs1gZqo?t=845 https://youtu.be/yiJFVs1gZqo?t=845
fud101 2y ago
I take about 20g daily of psyllium husk, i'm worried about lead. Any advice?
- LarsAlereon 2y ago
  Check for reviews that test for lead levels and buy products with low lead. For example, ConsumerLab is one subscription website that does this testing, but there are many others.
kjkjadksj 2y ago
What about lead tape for golf? My putter has a strip of it on the sole. I don’t lick it or anything but is it shedding contaminants constantly?
- LarsAlereon 2y ago
  Yes, it's depositing some lead on surfaces it contacts, including likely the grass on the green. That said, if the tape isn't wearing away and requiring regular replacement, the amounts likely are trivial. A quick search suggests that lead-free alternatives such as Tungsten-based weight tape are becoming available.

217 points by lentoutcry 2y ago

I live with children in a very old house. I would love to be able to measure my children's lead exposure and check things like window paint or house dust for lead content to see how big a problem there is. How do I do that?

lmpdev 2y ago
I was working part time in copper fabrication and had some potential lead exposure You can ask your doctor, it was just a blood test It was free but I’m Australian Came back zero
rietta 2y ago
You can request blood lead labs done through your doctor. People who work in industry and competition shooters and such will get that done to track.
- nottorp 2y ago
  Competition shooters? They're not likely to touch lead, unless they fatally disobey shooting range safety rules. Now the people manufacturing the bullets for those competition shooters... they need lead tests.
  - lionkor 2y ago
    Doesn't some of the lead end up in the air?
  - rietta 2y ago
    It’s not obvious, but practice enough at indoor ranges or reload your own competition ammo long enough. I have heard firsthand accounts from shooters who at some point weren’t feeling well, got tested, and found out they needed to be a lot more careful with their lead exposure.
    - nottorp 2y ago
      Interesting. I'm obviously not from a shooting culture :)
      - rietta 2y ago
        Don't be hard on yourself. None of us are born with this knowledge :-) If you ever shoot, just remember it is a really good idea to wash your hands afterwards (using the dlead soap if possible). It is not a bad idea to have a change of clothes and to wash your clothes right away as well.
  - mmillin 2y ago
    A small amount of lead makes its way out of the chamber in the form of dust and fumes after shooting. It’s quite easy to breath this in or get it on your hands and accidentally ingest it. Not enough to matter for someone who occasionally goes to the range, but significant for those shooting nearly daily, especially if shooting indoors.
    - adgjlsfhk1 2y ago
      the obvious solution is to switch to depleted uranium ammo
  - esseph 2y ago
    A lot of primers have lead, and the dust ends up in the air.
  - garbagewoman 2y ago
    The primers in the ammunition contain a lead compound
- storf45 2y ago
  I’ve more recently have gotten into competition shooting and it is definitely something to be aware of because it can easily slip into concerning exposure levels. A Reddit group I’m in just had a guy find out he was over exposed. Here’s the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/nass/comments/1jtrzm7/lead_levels/ https://www.reddit.com/r/nass/comments/1jtrzm7/lead_levels/
  - rietta 2y ago
    Congratulations on getting into competition! I started competing and intentionally practicing to get better about 4 years ago after a long time of being a safe but casual shooter. In the last year I have won some major Glock-sponsored GSSF matches - 1st place Amateur out of 140 at their national championship Talladega, AL. One more win and they are going to bump me to master class. I do not reload my own ammo so I have less lead exposure there. I am very careful with my range routine though. I have dedicated cross trainer shoes as my range shoes that I put in a plastic bag in the trunk of the car on the way home. I wash my hands with the dlead soap right away (have wipes in my bag for outdoor use). Finally, I put my clothes directly in the wash when I get home to reduce tracking anything inside particularly since I have small children at home.
    - storf45 2y ago
      That's awesome and congrats on the success so far! Smart move on the lead precautions. I need to get some of the wipes for my bag!
djohnston 2y ago
There are test kits for at-home usecases like paint and stuff - I think they're pretty reliable. For exposure, you can get blood tests at your GP. They might be absurdly expensive if you're in America, but maybe next time you travel to Europe you can pay privately and get a better deal.
- leguminous 2y ago
  Some US states require lead screening (blood tests) for babies and toddlers. In that case they are covered by insurance. My son has been tested once so far.
- edwcross 2y ago
  I'm in Europe and I see no way to get such tests. Other than lying and saying that you are at risk of contamination ("My hobby was glassworking"), I never saw any kind of test that you could pay yourself. Everywhere the government says "100% reimbursed", but you cannot even order one by yourself unless you have a good reason. So, I don't even know if it's expensive or not.
  - giardini 2y ago
    A friend got a routine physical and blood screening last week and to my surprise it included testing for lead acetate. I've never seen that before.
    - giardini 2y ago
      Oops! Just found out that a lead acetate level test is for particular proteins and is NOT used to detect blood lead levels: https://microbenotes.com/lead-sulfide-test/#result-and-interpretation-of-lead-sulfide-test https://microbenotes.com/lead-sulfide-test/#result-and-inter...
- jerlam 2y ago
  In the US, you can get a lead test directly through Quest Diagnostics, without going through your physician or insurance, if you are near a testing center. Probably costs less too.
hyencomper 2y ago
You can buy a Lead Test Kit and check it yourself https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-test-kits https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-test-kits
oftenwrong 2y ago
For the house, hire a professional inspector who will use an x-ray fluoresence meter and dust test strips. You want a professional because they will be more thorough, and check things that you would not know to check. To test your children's exposure, you can have their blood tested. They may very well be exposed from sources other than your house
matthewdgreen 2y ago
As the other commenter mentioned, you can buy at-home testing kits. But what you really want is to hire a lead testing and remediation company. We also live in an old house and we spent a huge amount of time applying "lead block" paint and replacing older windows (disastrous for lead dust because of the friction) and some older pipes. You may also want to test your outdoor soil, because older houses near roads will accumulate lead paint in soil due to years of traffic fumes, plus lead dust from the exterior of the house. Kids will sometimes eat dirt, don't ask me how I know. (Also: regular blood lead tests for your young kids! If you live in an older city this will be standard.) Also if you do any construction that disturbs old paint (demolition, window replacement) be careful to seal off the area using plastic, then clean it carefully with disposable wipes.
- throwup238 2y ago
  > You may also want to test your outdoor soil, because older houses near roads will accumulate lead paint in soil due to years of traffic fumes, plus lead dust from the exterior of the house. You also want to do this if you're going to be growing anything edible in your front or back yard.
theandrewbailey 2y ago
While that's great, the downside is that if you know there's lead in your house, you are obligated to clean it up, no matter the cost. That's why when old houses are sold or rented, they come with pamphlets warning of lead exposure, unless they are certified free of lead, but few want to pay for that.
PeterHolzwarth 2y ago
If you wish to do some of your own tests, vs using a service, swab test kits have a reputation for being very poor quality and unreliable. This led this gal to start a kind of one-woman crusade on the topic: https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/dont-panic-these-lead-test-kits-do-not-work-for-testing-consumer-goods-you-might-as-well-tear-up-your-money-and-throw-it-in-the-trash/ https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/dont-panic-these-lead-test-k... She recommends the american brand Scitus for swab test kits.
- ImHereToVote 2y ago
  Awesome. Thank you very much.
schneems 2y ago
Look for a lead abatement company. The surface test kits only test the surface. A dedicated company should have a X-ray device that can determine if there is lead that has been painted over. Also get soil tests since houses with lead paint will have been scraped and that leads to lead going into the soil around the house.
- lolinder 2y ago
  > A dedicated company should have a X-ray device that can determine if there is lead that has been painted over. Isn't the risk of lead paint only relevant if it's exposed? So you should test any visible layer and any layer that later becomes visible, but deeply nested layers don't matter so much.
pomian 2y ago
Pottery stores usually have a "lead test" kit. Quite simple to use.

totetsu 2y ago

> If you know there’s lead somewhere in your community, try to get involved and push for programs that limit its removal. Programs that to have it removed? I think. Also what would it be like to go through life knowing you had lead disrupting your brain.

rufus_foreman 2y ago
>> Also what would it be like to go through life knowing you had lead disrupting your brain That's pretty much anyone born before 1980 or so. We breathed it every day and it coated every outdoor surface in every city.

throwaway98687 2y ago

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gregwebs 2y ago

This is a great article on the biology of lead exposure. Unfortunately on the exposure side research wasn’t done and it propagates the myth that lead exposure is only an issue for those with lead pipes or lead paint. It’s true that these are the main sources of severe lead exposure. However the article points out that there is no safe level of exposure to lead and these aren’t the main ways we are exposed to lead in the US anymore. Today we are mostly exposed by low level contamination and thankfully this usually results in only mildly elevated lead levels. In a toddler sticking things in the mouth this could be almost any object. For adults it is food and drinks and the objects we use to make them. I know this because my toddler had elevated lead levels even though our neighborhood never had lead paint and our water does not have lead (I tested the water coming out of our faucets). The US has few laws against lead contamination and they aren’t very stringent and there is little proactive enforcement. This non profit has ended up creating several recalls after reporting their own testing: https://tamararubin.com/category/recall/ https://tamararubin.com/category/recall/ Most of the recalls were products marketed for children such as baby bottles. But if a child eats off an adult plate there aren’t any laws against that being contaminated. Some actions you can take are: * test children’s lead levels and your own * make sure toddlers aren't playing with old toys (pre 1978 really risky, after 2010 is best) * stop buying things that have a prop 65 warning (I know prop 65 isn’t perfect, but it’s often a lead warning). * Remove risky objects like the above from your children’s classrooms. * For cooking and food and drinks use clear glass, stainless steel, and cast iron * avoid processed foods. There are a lot of particulars here about what is most likely to be high in lead. Chocolate, spices, salt, and cassava products are particularly high in heavy metals.

dustincoates 2y ago
There can even be lead in fruit pouches: https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/news/outbreak-applesauce-pouches.html https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/news/outbreak-applesauce... I'm far from crunchy, but this led me to start making my kids pouches. They're more expensive per pouch, which was a bit surprising, but it has the side benefits that we make the pouches together (quality time) and I can control what goes in (e.g., spinach, carrots, broccoli).
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Reason077 2y ago

> “even if we were to completely stop mining for and using lead (which we aren’t, since the lead-acid battery market is projected to increase in the next years” I’m surprised by this. Modern cars (EVs, at least) have started replacing their 12V lead batteries with Li-ion, which are more durable, store much more energy, and of course are less toxic. But in any case, isn’t the one advantage of lead-acid batteries their recyclability? Don’t 99%+ of lead batteries get recycled into new lead batteries? Surely there can’t be all that much new lead being mined for batteries?

wffurr 2y ago
Most EVs have a 12V lead acid battery for standby power and to buffer the 12V accessory system. The solenoids to the traction battery are open when parked and the 12V battery closes them when the car is started. This does mean you might actually need a “jump start” for an EV if the 12V battery is drained, eg from leaving a light on or a fault in the 12V charging system.
- Reason077 2y ago
  Yes, EVs still have a 12V battery, but it’s not always lead acid. Tesla, for example, switched from lead acid to Li-ion 12V batteries in all their models several years ago. So have Porsche, even in combustion models I believe.
  - philjohn 2y ago
    They are a lot more expensive though, at least aftermarket.
    - Reason077 2y ago
      Yes but you have to replace them much less often. Kind of like LED vs incandescent light bulbs.
      - philjohn 2y ago

MisterTea 2y ago

Radiation shielding. There's a lot of it in industry involving electron beam processing which produces x-rays. From printing machines using EB set ink, welding, melting, cross-linking, etc. A lot of those machines are lead shielded. Even at particle accelerator labs I've walked past stacks of lead bricks around beam lines (esp around the injector) Sucks that there's so much use for something so dangerous. Amazing the perils we have both dug up and invented in the pursuit of progress which is ultimately just making money.

TheRealQueequeg 2y ago

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icameron 2y ago

>Now, acute effects of lead exposure are pretty clear. If someone were to chomp down on a piece of lead, it would result in seizures, coma, and possibly death. Tell that to anglers. Chomping down on lead is how to put weights on the line.

tentacleuno 2y ago

Interestingly, Lead is still used in fuel for small aircraft. It's called avgas 100LL (Low Lead). I do worry about the effects of the fuel, given lead's health effects at low exposure levels.

londons_explore 2y ago

Did you know, the world still mines more lead now than it did 50 years ago, at the peak of 'put lead in everything' mania? To me, this says that we still put lead in too many things. Lead is still used for flashing in roofs. It's still used as a mould release when making plastics. It's still used in making dishware. It's still used in bullets. It's still used for all kinds of things which will one day end up in the environment and someone's drinking water.

deadbabe 2y ago
When I posted here about how lead pipes during the Roman Empire was bad for the people I was met with a torrent of downvotes right here on Hackernews saying it wasn’t that bad. I’m not optimistic about the future.
- deleted 2y ago
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- Gigachad 2y ago
  I feel the same about leaded solder for hobby electronics.
  - alnwlsn 2y ago
    At least leaded soldering wire is mostly contained in a large chunk, but I really don't like leaded solder paste. Which is like leaded peanut butter, and easily spread around. All the new parts are designed based on a lead free process anyways, so you might as well get used to working with lead-free solder to begin with.
    - djmips 2y ago
      Unless you work on vintage gear...
- apercu 2y ago
  I'm sure that contributed to some of the insanity, but they also cooked down wine in lead pots (sapa or defrutum) which caused lead to leach and act as a sweetener. I think they also used this in cooking but this is all from memory so trust but verify!

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jvanderbot 2y ago

There's a "acceptable minimum level of lead" in most processed foods such as baby food. This is because food cannot be heavily processed without some heavy metals leeching in, according to a food safety guy who is a long time friend. It is completely mind boggling we let that happen.

avalys 2y ago
What do you think the regulatory standard should be set to? It is currently set to 10 ppb (parts per billion). Do you think it should be 0? 0.0000 ppb? No detectable lead whatsoever? What do you do if detection technology improves and the minimum detectable level decreases? Even if you go live totally off the grid with your child and grow your own vegetables in your backyard with completely natural ingredients, you will still end up with some level of lead - which is a natural ingredient itself, after all. At some point, you have to set a threshold and say that any lead below this level is not worth the cost of removing it or avoiding it. Would you pay 10x more for baby food at a 1 ppb level instead of 10 ppb? Do you think that would produce a net benefit for society?
- Robotbeat 2y ago
  Granite has lead at levels of 30,000ppb, fwiw. Lead is a naturally occurring mineral. the only way to fully eliminate lead would be to live in a fully synthetic environment, everything grown hydroponically, etc. https://www.science.smith.edu/~jbrady/petrology/igrocks-tools/average-compositions.php https://www.science.smith.edu/~jbrady/petrology/igrocks-tool...
  - FalseNutrition 2y ago
    Not only that. Life accumulated those over the eons, as the rocks eroded, the useful metals got saved by life, and the rest was washed down. So the natural levels are way higher. Life is good at hoarding these "heavy metals". People in this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43631251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43631251 have been arguing that these people must have been some top class elite, and I totally get it. They are too good looking. But, that's how it was. The typical of the past would be above celebrity looks today. A lot of curent idols look stunted in comparison.

FalseNutrition 2y ago

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DonHopkins 2y ago
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- FalseNutrition 2y ago
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  - DonHopkins 2y ago
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    - FalseNutrition 2y ago
      I wrote a longer comment, but it got flagged, so I deleted it, and wrote that one. My position is that lead toxicity seems to be a conspiracy theory, rather than a real thing, the evidence for it is bizarre, and doesn't make any sense, and lead in fact seems to belong where it goes. That is, it's essential, and people are increasingly weak, dumb, and even have deformities because it has been removed. This comment was instantly downvoted.
      - DonHopkins 2y ago
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        FalseNutrition 2y ago
        It wasn't sarcastic, I tried to make people read it, and see that it's nonsense. edit: I don't know why you reply by editing your comment like this. I'm not proposing any conspiracy theory, I'm claiming that lead toxicity is a conspiracy theory. Its proponents kicked out the original experts, forced lead removal, and people are now sick as the result, because the experts were right, and the normal levels were in fact normal. There is nothing much to agree or disagree with in the paper, because it's entirely nonsensical. He pulls out random numbers, and makes an illogical conclusion supposedly based on them. >The approximate fractions of alkaline earths absorbed by the intestine upon ingestion are: calcium 50%; strontium 25%; and barium 5%. If the alimentary absorption factor for lead in food is similar to that for barium, the amount of lead naturally absorbed by man is... And it's the entire paper like this. Edit2: No, it isn't because I don't uderstand it. I can read scientific papers, and this doesn't even look or read as one. It's nonsense written by a geochemist who went crazy. Edit3: No, you can't randomly assume something, and base your conclusions on that. How did you get that idea?

DonHopkins 2y ago

There are people who think it suddenly stopped being bad for your brain? They must be chewing on paint.

Gigachad 2y ago
The article is more about the fact that the exposure risk hasn’t gone away after banning it in fuel and paint, and that it’s still everywhere and contaminated the soil.
- DonHopkins 2y ago
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aziaziazi 2y ago

What methodology is used for lead testing ? I eared about blood sampling but that quote from the article make me wonder the effectiveness: > the half-life of lead in the blood (meaning the amount of time needed for the concentration to drop to half) is relatively short, at only 28 days, that’s not the same as the half-life in the body. Some of the lead in the blood will not be eliminated, but it will actually go into the soft tissue, i.e. kidneys, liver, brain, where the half-life is a few months, and more annoyingly, into the bones, where the half-life is between 10 to 30 years. What’s more, from here, lead can leach back into the bloodstream, from where it can once again get into the soft tissue and cause more damage

camilla41511 2y ago

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Liftyee 2y ago

I've always wondered about whether I've been affected by this due to various known sources that I (mis)handled in times past. Are there any pragmatic steps I can take to reduce/reverse any effect?

djmips 2y ago
Someone said to look into cilantro... Hopefully grown without lead contamination... That's all I got.

forestmyth 2y ago

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Animats 2y ago

"The answer is high-octane gasoline!"[1] [1] https://youtu.be/yiJFVs1gZqo?t=845 https://youtu.be/yiJFVs1gZqo?t=845

fud101 2y ago

I take about 20g daily of psyllium husk, i'm worried about lead. Any advice?

LarsAlereon 2y ago
Check for reviews that test for lead levels and buy products with low lead. For example, ConsumerLab is one subscription website that does this testing, but there are many others.

kjkjadksj 2y ago

What about lead tape for golf? My putter has a strip of it on the sole. I don’t lick it or anything but is it shedding contaminants constantly?

LarsAlereon 2y ago
Yes, it's depositing some lead on surfaces it contacts, including likely the grass on the green. That said, if the tape isn't wearing away and requiring regular replacement, the amounts likely are trivial. A quick search suggests that lead-free alternatives such as Tungsten-based weight tape are becoming available.