[Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

Wed Nov 7 18:41:47 PST 2012

This site has a pretty good summary on lead poisoning testing and
treatment:
http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/leadpoison/

Dave Richoux

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 4:46 PM, david richoux <domitype at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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