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D-lead soap

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After years of shooting and casting lead, I have just heard of a product intended to help clean hands after handling lead - "D-lead" soap. Has anyone tried this product? Results?
 
I've used it. They also make field wipes. I cant say for sure if it works. I go on faith.

The make it for modern shooting. For that I think its overkill, personally. I'd be more worried about inhaling the lead. For real muzzleloaders it makes much more sense.
 
Darn, and all these years I've been using just regular soap.
Sure wish I was born in the 21st century so I could be safe,, instead of back in the day when stuff was killing everybody.
not to worry, it was a kinder more gentile lead back when
we had lead water pipes
 
After years of shooting and casting lead, I have just heard of a product intended to help clean hands after handling lead - "D-lead" soap. Has anyone tried this product? Results?

How are you getting lead on your hands, don't you wear gloves ? I use nitrile or leather gloves for handling lead or I use tongs.
Keep in mind that the primary routes of entry are inhalation and ingestion. Really people should think more about wearing a mask when working lead.


The active ingredient in D-lead soap is Pentasodium Aminotrimethylene Phosphonate .

I guess if I was really worried about it I would wash my hands with LAVA soap or Cascade to remove the lead. Lava removes lead by abrading it (and removing your skin) Cascade contains Sodium tripolyphosphate which functions similarly to Pentasodium Aminotrimethylene Phosphonate as a chealating agent.

Another chealating agent for the removal of lead and other heavy metals is calcium disodium EDTA used in many foods such as salad dressing, margarine and mayonnaise. it is also found in soaps, shampoos, and detergents.
 
They make it for modern shooting. For that I think its overkill, personally. I'd be more worried about inhaling the lead.

I'd say you're correct. Dust from lead spatter, especially that which collects over time, and gets oxidized, and is then tossed up by fresh lead-slug-splatter, is a much more prevalent source of lead poisoning for shooters using indoor ranges, or folks mining old slugs from a berm.

Now if I was a plumber, doing demolition on homes and buildings with lead pipe, or overhauling a home and removing the old lead pipe, I'd probably think about such stuff if I wasn't using gloves.

LD
 
I had a heavy metals test a couple of weeks ago as part of my physical. I test right in the middle of the range for lead.

I had a buddy test over the recommended level.

Casting loading wrapping paper patch bullets and shooting gives me quite a bit of exposure and I am trying to do a even better job of limiting my lead intake

Fleener
 
o_O;)
How are you getting lead on your hands, don't you wear gloves ? I use nitrile or leather gloves for handling lead or I use tongs.


Well I do wear gloves for casting & for cutting up scrap lead for casting. Leather gloves & tongs seem a bit clumsy for loading though. ;)
 
It does not hurt to take precautions. Chunks of metallic lead do not pose much threat.

Fine particulate and oxide does. Polishing brass in a tumbler, especially a vibratory one, creates lots of lead dust from the lead styphinate primer residue. That dust can coat the shop of you don't cover the tumbler. There is no way to effectively clean up the lead mess such that lead testing comes out negative.

Shooting on an indoor range exposes you to lots of inhaled lead.
 
I knew a man who died from lead poisoning, due to a lifetime of casting bullets and fishing sinkers. The more traditional form of "lead poisoning" is probably the better way to go.

Richard/Grumpa
 
o_O;)


Well I do wear gloves for casting & for cutting up scrap lead for casting. Leather gloves & tongs seem a bit clumsy for loading though. ;)

"Tongs" was kind of a generic term but pliers or a vice grips works. It allows me to lower the lead unto the pot without splashing. Normally I use a needle nose pliers.
To each their own.
 
Another chealating agent for the removal of lead and other heavy metals is calcium disodium EDTA used in many foods such as salad dressing, margarine and mayonnaise. it is also found in soaps, shampoos, and detergents.

Mayonnaise, also great for a patch lube. Greatly improved my accuracy and removes lead.
 
Polishing brass in a tumbler, especially a vibratory one, creates lots of lead dust from the lead styphinate primer residue. That dust can coat the shop of you don't cover the tumbler. There is no way to effectively clean up the lead mess such that lead testing comes out negative.

Shooting on an indoor range exposes you to lots of inhaled lead

WOW I never knew that about tumblers, thanks.
Inhaled lead, yes, but also fine dust on clothing, which then gets ingested, when it has oxidized, is a big contributor. Cops used to go to an indoor range, shoot, then go on patrol, and have the dust on their clothing, etc. The guys who sweep up the range at the end of the day would get the most problems.

LD
 
To answer the OP's question I use D-Lead soap every day and I am monitored every 6 months. I have always tested on the low end of the scale, usually 3-4 mcg/dL. (10 mcg/dL. is considered high).
I work in in the modern firearm industry and I am exposed to very high volumes of fire daily and maintenance of the weapons.
I think using some common sense will make a larger impact than what soap you use.
Don't eat, drink or smoke in the presence of lead or its particulates. If you are in an environment where airborne particulates are possible, wear a simple dust mask.
Wash your hands & face.
 
The active ingredient in D-lead soap is Pentasodium Aminotrimethylene Phosphonate .
Lol,, it's a cleaning agent,, also known as soap
Another chealating agent
OMG, LOL,, chealation agent needed for lead removal?
You like those big mysterious words used on google don't ya?

For those that don't get it(?) He said the stuff is soap,, and another good thing to use is soap.
Hey, I could be wrong, maybe someone has made soap better.
 
I used to work for a bullet manufacturing company. While there I found that hygiene was a far bigger factor for the guys that tested high than anything else. Like bptactical said, the ones that would eat or go for a smoke break without washing first were the ones that always tested higher than the others. One guy kept getting high results and it was finally discovered that he was working with his pack of smokes in his breast pocket the whole day, the soft pack style that had the ends of the filters exposed. He was washing religiously before smoking or eating, but then ingesting it due to particulates being on the ends of the filters that he put in his mouth. Ingesting it was the culprit 95% of the time. Anytime they were mopping, adding lead to the melt pots, or drossing the melt pots they had to wear a respirator, but when pouring a billet or operating the winder to spool the extruded wire it wasn't necessary. They also wore company supplied coveralls, they put on a clean pair daily and the used ones were picked up to be cleaned. The coveralls had to be removed anytime they were going to the break room and weren't allowed to be worn in their cars or taken home. Small particulates that can go air born and cause you to breathe it or basically eating it is the two most common ways to get in trouble with it.

As far as chelates, the whole plant had a strict testing procedure through the Wastewater department anytime they wanted to use any type of chemical or cleaning agent. If it had chelates it wasn't allowed in any area that lead was processed. Chelates would make the lead stay in suspension instead of being able to be separated out of solution, which caused the WW folks a ton of grief to get it separated so it could be shipped off as a solid hazardous waste.
 
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