[Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

Wed Nov 7 16:00:37 PST 2012

I had a friend that played Tuba that died from kidney failure. There may be more to this then you at first think. His instrument had the plating long gone and he did hold it with perspiration soaked hands for many years. As to the mouthpiece - most of them are silver plated - how does that fit the theory? 

Rich Pearl  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Ringwald<mailto:rsr at ringwald.com> 
  To: Rich Pearl<mailto:banjomobile at msn.com> 
  Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List<mailto:dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com> 
  Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 8:27 AM
  Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

  Bill I have those symptoms and I don’t play a brass instruments. Maybe ivory causes the same symptoms. Or maybe its just old age?

  --Bob Ringwald

    . 

  From: ♫ Sharp Bill - - B# ♫ 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 9:56 AM
  To: Bob Ringwald 
  Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List 
  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

  Brass is an alloy, which includes lead. 

  I have recently had some trouble with my kidneys.  When I look up kidney disease on Wikipedia, it says that kidney problems can be caused by lead poisoning, which can also manifest itself in several ways, described below.(***)  As I began to read the list of manifestations, many symptoms struck a chord with me ( nonmusical) - -- I found so many of my own symptoms that I began to wonder:  has so many years of playing my brass instruments also put me in enough contact with lead as to have given me lead poisoning.?  The plating on my instruments has long ago worn off, and I remember so many times when my hands would be green, or black from playing on the instruments for hours, or under sweaty conditions.

  What drew my attention to brass being a possible contributor to lead poisoning is that a few months back, I remember seeing an article where some parents were suing Disneyland to remove brass rails, fountains, etc  from the park because they were concerned that their children coming into contact with the brass items  would give their children lead poisoning.  If they were concerned from such small amounts of exposure on just a brief outing, then how concerned should brass players be, who have handled brass instruments for years?  How many of us play on uncoated mouthpieces that have only the brass touching our lips, meaning that every time we lick our lips we are absorbing lead directly through fine membranes?  Not to mention the unlacquered instruments we grasp.

  Despite denials, Disneyland does have brass surfaces that tested high in lead | OC Safety News

  ***The symptoms for lead poisoning are many:  tingling in the extremities, muscle cramps, difficulty in sleeping, memory loss, and even carpal tunnel syndrome.  Because I have experienced all of these, would it not lead one to be highly suspicious? 

  Here are but a few sentences from the Wikipedia article on lead poisoning:   Lead affects every one of the body's organ systems, especially the nervous system, but also the bones and teeth, the kidneys, and the cardiovascular, immune, and reproductive systems.[72] Hearing loss and tooth decay have been linked to lead exposure,[81] as have cataracts.[82] Aside from the developmental effects unique to young children, the health effects experienced by adults are similar to those in children, although the thresholds are generally higher.[90]
  [edit]Renal system
  Kidney damage occurs with exposure to high levels of lead, and evidence suggests that lower levels can damage kidneys as well.[91] The toxic effect of lead causes nephropathy. Lead poisoning inhibits excretion of the waste product urate and causes a predisposition for gout, in which urate builds up.
  [edit]Cardiovascular system
  Evidence suggests lead exposure is associated with high blood pressure, and studies have also found connections between lead exposure and coronary heart disease, heart rate variability, and death from stroke, but this evidence is more limited.[97] People who have been exposed to higher concentrations of lead may be at a higher risk for cardiac autonomic dysfunction on days when ozone and fine particles are higher.[98]
  [edit]Nervous system

  The brains of adults who were exposed to lead as children show decreased volume, especially in the prefrontal cortex, on MRI. Areas of volume loss are shown in color over a template of a normal brain.[102]
  Lead affects the peripheral nervous system (especially motor nerves) and the central nervous system.[17] Peripheral nervous system effects are more prominent in adults and central nervous system effects are more prominent in children.[23] Lead causes the axons of nerve cells to degenerate and lose their myelin coats.[17]
  The brain is the organ most sensitive to lead exposure.[102]
  High blood lead levels in adults are also associated with decreases in cognitive performance and with psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety.[109] It was found in a large group of current and former inorganic lead workers in Korea that blood lead levels in the range of 20–50 μg/dL were correlated with neuro-cognitive defects.[110]Increases in blood lead levels from about 50 to about 100 μg/dL in adults have been found to be associated with persistent, and possibly permanent, impairment of central nervous system function.[91]

  [edit]

  So, I'm just wondering, among the many DJML contributors who are brass players, have you experienced any of the symptoms described  - - -  associated with lead poisoning?  Should we be wearing gloves and playing exclusively on plated mouthpieces to protect our health?  Is this really such a big issue - - -  at least something that we should be aware of?  ( I think of all the years that smokers smoked, unaware of the medical dangers.   Is this true now of all the years we've played brass, unaware of the dangers of lead?)  I think I'll start wearing a nice leather glove when I play my instruments. Excuse me while I use a tingling arm to rub out a vicious leg cramp.

  P.S. Get the lead out.

  ♫Bill Sharp
  retired educator,
  avocation: musician 
  ___;;;___/
     (_III_)   \
  Auntie Em - - Hate you, hate Kansas, taking the dog. Dorothy. 

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