The last remaining lead smelter in the US will close 12/2013. What effect do you think this will have on bullets, factory ammo?

Lead Smelter to Close

and

Smelter to close


Casting bullets just may turn out to be more expensive as well as buying bullets both lead and jacketed types.

Lead smelting will continue in other countries where they don't have EPA rules!!

Somehow I think just because the EPA bans something in this county, they forget that USA is on the same planet as other countries still producing lead.

Can somebody explain me the fuss about lead?
They get it out of the earth and it will return to the earth...

Now let's compare that with f.e. oil...


Did I already explain to you my thoughts about CO²? In my opinion all that talk is just to prepare new taxes. With all these fires all these thousands of years and nature still can hold the % CO² stable at very low percentages because in nature getting rid of CO² is a first order reaction. An increase of CO² will immediatly exponentially increase the reduction to O² and C-stuff.

Now the big question: do I understand nature better than our governments or are our governments more clever because they can manipulate it so that they can make earnings from it?

The big problem with lead is not so much the actual lead itself, but the smelting process. My daughter lives in a mining town where the three usual minerals found together are mined - lead, silver and zinc. They conducted tests on the kids in the City and found that the blood lead levels are much higher than in other areas. The increased lead levels are attributed to the lead smelting industry. There is also a school of thought that suggests juvenile behavioural problems are also related to lead levels in the blood.

I don't think that any of us that have done any amount of bullet casting without using some sort of protection from breathing lead fumes can testify to the problems lead fumes cause. I for one suffered significant headaches until I started using a respirator, after which the headaches disappeared. I have never had the lead levels in my blood tested, but I would imagine that they would be within acceptable levels because most is excreted by the body...although lead can accumulate in some organs.

In adults, a low level of lead exposure isn't considered dangerous. However, in babies and young kids whose brains are still developing, even a small amount of lead can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems. At higher levels, lead exposure can cause seizures, coma, and even death.

Source: kidshealth.org/parent/..._lead.html

Shooters should particularly be required to have blood lead tests before they ever take up a gun (or apply for a licence) and shortly after beginning their training, especially if they practice at an indoor firing range. Regular blood lead monitoring will let your doctor know whether you have the genotype or shooting frequency that dictate that you really are not safe to use a gun.

Anyone who has a lodged lead shot or bullet in them should have a blood lead test every 6 months or more frequently if the blood lead level rises above 2 µg/dL. This can occur especially if the lodged lead object or fragment moves into the synovial fluid of a joint. Your doctors should be made aware that you have been shot and have retained the leaded ammunition, so that they can better monitor not only your blood lead level but also your nutritional status and regularly weigh the risks of surgical removal of the lead pellets against the risks of lead poisoning.

Source: www.lead.org.au/fs/fst46.html

As Aloys says, lead is a naturally occurring element, so why the concerns about it being put back into the ground from bullets? I know they say bird life can ingest lead shot and this can lead to lead poisoning of both the bird and a hunter who consumes said bird...but is it really that big a problem?

One of the things that does annoy me is all ranges in my State have a Lead Levy imposed upon each shooter on a per visit basis. The purpose of this levy is for the "clean-up" of the range if and when it is closed down. The levy isn't a big amount...usually only between $1 and $2 per person per visit, but that soon adds up to a significant amount.

Now don't go giving this gov't of tax and spend anymore ideas for new taxes! And if they think because of closing down a smelter is going to stop the production of lead-then they had better look and think about what types of entrepaneurs there are in the US.There will always be a way for supply/demand.I think that I'll get started on my underground lead railroad right now!.....................Now what kind of dirt was that I needed?

Vince wrote:

Anyone who has a lodged lead shot or bullet in them should have a blood lead test every 6 months or more frequently if the blood lead level rises above 2 µg/dL. As Aloys says, lead is a naturally occurring element, so why the concerns about it being put back into the ground from bullets? I know they say bird life can ingest lead shot and this can lead to lead poisoning of both the bird and a hunter who consumes said bird...but is it really that big a problem

Agreed, I have mine checked every year with my physical, and last May it was 0.5 ug/dl. Been casting since 1972 and never used a mask, just gloves, leather apron and a fan behind me to blow the fumes away from me.

By the way, how come its always the birds (condor, etc) that get the lead poisoning and no other game animals?

theory on ducks was they will scoop it from shallow water and add it to their gizzard to grind up food with and get it in system thataways.

I imagine that is why Midway is starting to add more non-lead offerings to their ammo line.

Ominivision1 wrote:

Vince wrote: Anyone who has a lodged lead shot or bullet in them should have a blood lead test every 6 months or more frequently if the blood lead level rises above 2 µg/dL. As Aloys says, lead is a naturally occurring element, so why the concerns about it being put back into the ground from bullets? I know they say bird life can ingest lead shot and this can lead to lead poisoning of both the bird and a hunter who consumes said bird...but is it really that big a problem Agreed, I have mine checked every year with my physical, and last May it was 0.5 ug/dl. Been casting since 1972 and never used a mask, just gloves, leather apron and a fan behind me to blow the fumes away from me. By the way, how come its always the birds (condor, etc) that get the lead poisoning and no other game animals?

This is probably due to Biomagnification, something I learned at an earlier age as a biology student.

Basically, the higher you go up the food chain, the more concentrated environmental substances become if they are not excreted fast enough. This is especially true with pesticides, but heavy metals can also be a problem.