[Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

Wed Nov 7 16:46:10 PST 2012

I happend to be going in for a physical today, so I asked the doctor about
it - I will be getting a lead test in my blood work-up. It is a
standardized test.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003360.htm

Dave Richoux

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Ron L'Herault <lherault at bu.edu> wrote:

> Most lead has .07% lead in it.   Just touching an object that has lead in
> it does not dissolve the lead and put it into your body.   Acids will
> dissolve the brass and free up the lead though.    It also has Zinc and
> Copper in it, with Copper being the major amount I believe.   The Disney
> thing is probably blown out of proportion.  There are thousands of us who
> grew up in houses full of lead paint and we didn't get lead poisoning or
> suffer brain damage.  Of course our parents probably cleaned the place and
> didn't let us chew on the woodwork either.   Any blood tests out there for
> lead levels?
>
> Ron L
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com [mailto:
> dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of ? Sharp Bill - - B# ?
> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 12:56 PM
> To: lherault at bu.edu
> 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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