Thread: Melting Lead - fumes

I'm currently setting up my casting operations.

I've been aware of lead poisoning issues since making sinkers as a kid over an open fire. Having personal acquaintances who suffered chronic lead poisoning from melting and casting in enclosed spaces also engaged my interest. Some years ago I researched and wrote a 2 page analysis for my Club of lead poisoning issues relevant to Pistol shooting and reloading. Main risk being primer and tumbling media dust on hands and surfaces. Main outcome being need for hand and workspace care and hygiene.

In my reading and research, current and past, I have not found any informed discussion of what happens with extracted fumes. Lead fumes cool and lead settles out onto surfaces. The risk of lead poisoning in the immediate workspace from fumes occuring at specific temperatures is therefore discussed along with the need for extraction ventilation. Table top fans are seen as worse than useless because they just distribute lead contamination around the work area. Cleaning and disposing of extraction system filters is mentioned in passing.

In most hobbyist melting and casting situations, extracting fumes externally to the workspace, or, working in an open air situation, is advised.

My question is about what happens in the immediate area to which fumes are extracted? Does lead in one form or another settle around the extraction point (yes) and to what extent ? Does it "blow" or "wash" away with wind and rain over time or accumulate? Is there an issue analogous to the elevated roadside lead levels from leaded gasoline back when I was a kid?

Common sense says not to plant my tomatoes around the extraction exhaust area. But exactly how big an issue is this or not? If I'm making bullets for personal use I probably won't create enough fumes to be an issue in this respect (lead contamination around external extraction vent). If I was manufacturing to supply both a domestic and an export market no doubt several workspace regulations would apply.

My guess is few home hobby casters pay much attention other than to their immediate work area and personal exposure..if you do run, say, a range hood type extraction system do you also
- filter
- clean filters regularly
- have any concerns about where you vent fumes re resulting localized contamination?

I have a floored area under a roof whuch is open on 3 sides. I'm planning to mount a 2nd hand kitchen range hood over my melting and pouring area with ducting of the exhaust away from the work area. I anticipate the washable stainless filters will cool and accumulate most of any fume carried lead. I plan regular brush cleaning of the filters with soapy water which will unfortunately go down the drain.

My biggest concern is where to place the duct vent. The work area is directly underneath a deck BBQ area and is surrounded by bush-garden that folk are in daily. I'm considering venting into a drum buried into the ground with porous scoria fill above.

Comments?