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I partially sanded a vintage bike before I knew about the lead paint

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I partially sanded a vintage bike before I knew about the lead paint

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Old 12-25-20, 04:55 AM
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Originally Posted by beicster
How vintage was the bike?
Possibly 70's 80's by Raleigh, bike uses friction shifter and Suntour derailleur. Can't tell the model name. Not sure if that's enough to tell anything.

Last edited by CaptainPlanet; 12-25-20 at 04:59 AM.
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Old 12-25-20, 06:51 AM
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If you're old enough to be affected by decades of leaded gasoline you won't feel the effects of a one time exposure to leaded paint too much.

Besides, as others have said before; the big problem is for developing children. It makes you dumber as less social. For adults it mostly leads to cardiovascular and reproductive issues. Think high blood pressure and heart attacks. Source
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Old 12-25-20, 07:25 AM
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I kind of doubt that lead paint would have been used on a bike; wouldn't lead add unnecessary weight?
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Old 12-25-20, 07:58 AM
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A little lead dust is nothing.....

Try growing up with well water in the middle of farm country. So many pesticides/herbicides in my drinking water for the first 19yrs of my life. Of the 8 kids in my neighborhood, there were 4 stillbirths and several birth defects when we started procreating. All the better I gave my wife the gift of a vasectomy for an anniversary gift one year.
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Old 12-25-20, 09:13 AM
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Used lead solder on all the copper pipes, when I redid all the plumbing in my house 30 years ago. We’re all still here, and still no leaks!
Tim
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Old 12-25-20, 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by CaptainPlanet
Thread title correction: I sanded parts of a vintage bike before I knew about the lead paint

I was wearing those non-medical green paper-thin masks when I did it. How screwed am I? I still haven't vacuumed the spot completely, and there might still be dust on the bike I haven't cleaned off yet. The towel I used to clean the bike is probably still in the tool bag, and I also used my work tools with my contaminated hands. What do I do now? Can water and soap clean it off?
While limiting exposure to particulates containing lead is always a good idea the lead content in the paint on a bicycle frame is extremely low. There's no need to call the EPA or HazMat team and you'll be fine. Just clean up any residue as you normally would, wipe your tools down like you would any other time, wash your hands well before eating like you would anyway and go on with life. Merry Christmas.

Originally Posted by nlerner
I remember well playing with the mercury that spilled out of broken thermometers when I was a kid. Some would say it had no cognitive effect. Others might disagree.
In grade school in the early 60's the teacher would get out the jar of mercury during science lessons and let us roll it around in our hands and dip pennies in it, the exposed pipes for the steam heat radiators were wrapped in crumbling asbestos and there was lead EVERYWHERE. The vast majority of contemporaries I've lost over the years have been due to cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. None to asbestos, lead or mercury and believe me we were exposed to plenty of all 3.
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Old 12-25-20, 10:51 AM
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As previously noted, the real hazard is to children and young women. I'm pretty cautious about bringing it into the house on my skin and cloth's after working in an older house or boat. If your really worried about having contaminated an area or your self, there are lead tests available.
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Old 12-25-20, 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Murray Missile
. . .


In grade school in the early 60's the teacher would get out the jar of mercury during science lessons and let us roll it around in our hands and dip pennies in it, the exposed pipes for the steam heat radiators were wrapped in crumbling asbestos and there was lead EVERYWHERE. The vast majority of contemporaries I've lost over the years have been due to cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. None to asbestos, lead or mercury and believe me we were exposed to plenty of all 3.
You started out with sensible advice to the OP. But then....

So the housewives whose only exposure to asbestos was washing their husbands’ overalls when they came home from the shipyard, but got mesothelioma anyway, can be thrown away because some of them smoked? Not sure what point you’re trying to make. Lead, mercury, and asbestos aren’t occupational hazards after all? You can’t assess the hazards of anything by listening to the testimonials of people who survived what in your case was trivial exposure. Most cars driven by drunks managed to drive themselves home without incident. You can argue about what the permissible limits should be, if you have the technical knowledge.
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Old 12-25-20, 12:46 PM
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Old 12-25-20, 02:03 PM
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Originally Posted by CaptainPlanet
Thread title correction: I sanded parts of a vintage bike before I knew about the lead paint

I was wearing those non-medical green paper-thin masks when I did it. How screwed am I? I still haven't vacuumed the spot completely, and there might still be dust on the bike I haven't cleaned off yet. The towel I used to clean the bike is probably still in the tool bag, and I also used my work tools with my contaminated hands. What do I do now? Can water and soap clean it off?
I think you’d have to do a lot of bikes, but each person is different.

I think in California you’re subject to arrest and then disability for emotional anguish.
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Old 12-25-20, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by krakhaus
The bad news is that you now have toxic lead poisoning. The only way to reverse the effects is to eat 2 large bananas and chug a liter of Sprite ASAP. Report back here after you've done so.
Methamphetamines are your friend!
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Old 12-25-20, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by conspiratemus1
You started out with sensible advice to the OP. But then....

So the housewives whose only exposure to asbestos was washing their husbands’ overalls when they came home from the shipyard, but got mesothelioma anyway, can be thrown away because some of them smoked? Not sure what point you’re trying to make. Lead, mercury, and asbestos aren’t occupational hazards after all? You can’t assess the hazards of anything by listening to the testimonials of people who survived what in your case was trivial exposure. Most cars driven by drunks managed to drive themselves home without incident. You can argue about what the permissible limits should be, if you have the technical knowledge.
Wow, take things out of context much? I was talking about people being exposed as a matter of everyday life NOT people being exposed in an occupational environment or a direct connection and you damn well know it. Save your self righteous hyperbole for somebody else. Oh, and Merry Christmas.
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Last edited by Murray Missile; 12-26-20 at 08:54 AM.
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Old 12-25-20, 06:50 PM
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Just don't do it again.
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Old 12-28-20, 12:20 PM
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As a target shooter and pistol match official (standing right by the shooter), I have inhaled my share and experienced elevated lead levels at different points, but this was with protracted exposure and by inhalation of smoke carrying lead components, so don't worry about your one time , it won't even give you a bump on your blood level reading. Staying away from it for a while and the level comes b ack down.
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Old 12-28-20, 01:29 PM
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Another competitive shooter here. I primarily shoot BPCR (black powder cartridge rifle) and sporting clays, which I reload for. Lots of lead handling as I cast my own bullets. Not worried and you should not be either. In the end, both of us are going to die.
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Old 12-28-20, 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Pompiere
I lost count of the number of old fisherman who would bite down on a split shot sinker. Also hunters who would find a BB in a pheasant or rabbit while eating it.
I have done that for years (split shot sinkers) and speech still my ok not is
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Old 12-28-20, 02:18 PM
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Lead Crime Link

Originally Posted by davester
I'm an environmental consultant and have dealt extensively with lead-based paint issues. Here are my thoughts:

1. You're an adult so you would need a very large dose to cause you issues. I doubt that sanding waste from a bike frame would represent enough volume to provide you a significant dose. If you have no symptoms (google them), don't worry about it. However, children are highly susceptible to permanent neurological impacts from paint dust. Be sure that you wet mop or HEPA vacuum (NOT regular vacuum) any areas where you sanded to get rid of the dust.

2. Lead-based paint is primarily found on house paints, structure paints, and ship paints, with lead content decreasing through the years before complete bans in the 1980s. There's a good chance that there is no lead or very low lead on your bike frame.It's more likely that lead-based paint dust from window and door trim from your pre-1990s house have impacted the floors and areas around your house than your bike frame has.
Lead House Paint and Leaded Gasoline are the big culprits. Besideds the individual effect, the effects show up in crime rates. House Paint was everywhere but for certain time periods, and Leaded Gasoline also had a very uneven distribution which showed up in the data in a Mother Jones article.
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Old 12-28-20, 02:42 PM
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Gots to know

Originally Posted by CaptainPlanet
Thread title correction: I sanded parts of a vintage bike before I knew about the lead paint

I was wearing those non-medical green paper-thin masks when I did it. How screwed am I? I still haven't vacuumed the spot completely, and there might still be dust on the bike I haven't cleaned off yet. The towel I used to clean the bike is probably still in the tool bag, and I also used my work tools with my contaminated hands. What do I do now? Can water and soap clean it off?
Gots to​​​​​towhat was the bike! Model year??
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Old 12-28-20, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by CaptainPlanet
Possibly 70's 80's by Raleigh, bike uses friction shifter and Suntour derailleur. Can't tell the model name. Not sure if that's enough to tell anything.
What makes you think that bike was painted with lead? For the more common colors and large run bikes Raleigh was the first to go to powder coat. From before SunTour. They did powder so well few ever knew. For the low production colors and bikes they used wet paint. Lead was used for British stove enamel paint and was legal for too long. Raleigh let lead go early simply because it was expensive. Way too expensive when painting bikes by the million.

Only special danger in bike paint is old Gios Iranian isomer cobalt blue. Which will live forever because people like it.
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Old 12-29-20, 06:56 AM
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Originally Posted by 63rickert

Only special danger in bike paint is old Gios Iranian isomer cobalt blue. Which will live forever because people like it.
lapis lazuli also comes from Afghanistan, not all is Persian.
I have a few Gios bikes both in need of paint.
cannot say that paint was very durable!
house of Kolor will be the brand to get closest.
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Old 12-29-20, 07:13 AM
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A lot of shooters use a product called D-Lead which removes shooting residues from your hands and arms. I'm sure there are other products out there that are similar.

You could probably pick it up at your local shooting supplies store.
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Old 12-29-20, 08:58 AM
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Same here! - while wearing my Boy Scouts of America Radium Watch. That was then, this is now. Good to be concerned. Worrying about it now introduces its own amount of psychosomatic risks.
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Old 12-29-20, 01:10 PM
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What about this safe way of being measured for your shoes?

My way of saying again....not saying it's unimportant but......
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Last edited by xiaoman1; 12-29-20 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 12-29-20, 11:30 PM
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I couldn't even guess how many hrs I spent over a pot of melted lead helping my Dad cast bullets. Or the near countless (what seemed like) tons of lead shot I've handled reloading shotgun shells for a few decades.
I'd suggest worrying about something important like if you're gonna die before you get the vac
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Old 12-30-20, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by xiaoman1
What about this safe way of being measured for your shoes?

My way of saying again....not saying it's unimportant but......
I worked for a fellow who had his tonsils out by the new "no knife" x-ray technique. He had his thyroid removed later in life.
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