Eutectic
Active Member
The "I'm not buying it" thread had some good lead hazard conversation. I thought a thread about personal experiences with lead poisoning would be interesting as well as helpful. I'm not talking about 'you' personally (but that's fine too.) I'm thinking more on the line of real! Something you know for a fact is really fact! I express this because I know much of what is talked about is based on some agenda for some other goal. I'll start..... Please add to the list!
My father went to work at Standard Oil when he got out of the Navy in 1946. Lots of old oil technology then.... Low pressure distillation, stills, acid treating... The most modern thing were "Thermal Crackers". Lube oil stocks were refined with both acid and caustic treatments to purify so to speak... Even in 1961 when I went to work for them this lube oil process was that way. Sulfuric acid was a big one and many vessels were lead lined. Many 'leadburners' (lead welders) were there when my Dad started but maybe only a dozen were left when I started. Those 12 only did specialty work then like lead sinks, funnels, emergency repairs, but lead lining a tank was contracted out.
Standard Oil built a rifle range on their property for employees in 1953... Had to imagine such a thing now huh? I'll start about that time then. Some old school good shots worked there then; a high percent were WW2 vets. They had a big 'turkey shoot' planned and it was one weekend away! We were out practicing (I was 11 years old.) One guy who I would work around some 7 years later was shooting off the 200 yard bench. I saw he had a purple fingernail... He was looking off the side of the bench and saw me. "Hey young Pete! Come help me find my brass!" I run over for the good assignment! I found it and as I got off my knees I saw Brickner's hand on the bench. All his fingernails were purple! I asked my Dad about it later at home. "Brick's a leadburner....and a good one! Does it all the time. Lead makes your fingernails purple. Most the leadburners are that way." He was one of the best shots out there and won a turkey the next weekend. He seemed healthy to me 8 years later until he retired. I think of him often when lead poisoning comes up.
They were tearing out that old process as the tanks and piping wore out in the 50's. My Dad must have salvaged a literal ton of lead from the scrap! I still remember my Mother yelling at him. He smelted in the garage and it stunk! I later would know that smell as Sulfuric Acid! I still shoot bullets with a little of that old lead in them!
We built a Chevron fertilizer plant in Wyoming in the 80's. Our process made sulfuric acid first to react with phosphate rock and create phosphoric acid for fertilizer. I stayed a while after startup and was hiring people for the maintenance department. I was sick of interviewing people for sure! A big ol' kid come in... I could see he was as strong as a bull. He was visiting his brother there. This guy worked in San Manuel, AZ for a copper smelter (Phelps Dodge I think) "I do any maintenance work... Weld, millwright, piping, electrical, crane operator.... But I like to leadburn the best!" His last sentence hit me between the eyes. He kept going at my silence....."I see a sulfuric plant over there." He pointed a thick finger out the window. "Got any lead lined equipment?" "Nope sorry..... Lined with some hi-tech polymer they say." His smile faded. Welder huh? I thought.... Good at everything huh? Only then I spoke. "I'm going to weld test you Jack" "OK" he says. He passed in flying colors and it wasn't an easy test! And he was the most versatile mechanic I even hired! He could do anything you wanted well!
A couple years later he said something about his 'downtime' in Arizona. I asked him about it. He leadburned all the time.... He loved it too and Phelps Dodge loved it because he was their best. But they blood tested him every 6 months...... Jack said welding lead 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, would raise his mmgdl up to the MSHA max. Six months lay off brought it back down! So he said he'd leadburn 6 months and usually operate the crane for 6 months. Good shot too...he hunted with us!
I heard lead paint is bad for kids and have seen a lot of kids chew on old painted cribs in the old days. May be true. but I haven't seen it.
What has anyone seen first hand on lead poisoning???
Pete
My father went to work at Standard Oil when he got out of the Navy in 1946. Lots of old oil technology then.... Low pressure distillation, stills, acid treating... The most modern thing were "Thermal Crackers". Lube oil stocks were refined with both acid and caustic treatments to purify so to speak... Even in 1961 when I went to work for them this lube oil process was that way. Sulfuric acid was a big one and many vessels were lead lined. Many 'leadburners' (lead welders) were there when my Dad started but maybe only a dozen were left when I started. Those 12 only did specialty work then like lead sinks, funnels, emergency repairs, but lead lining a tank was contracted out.
Standard Oil built a rifle range on their property for employees in 1953... Had to imagine such a thing now huh? I'll start about that time then. Some old school good shots worked there then; a high percent were WW2 vets. They had a big 'turkey shoot' planned and it was one weekend away! We were out practicing (I was 11 years old.) One guy who I would work around some 7 years later was shooting off the 200 yard bench. I saw he had a purple fingernail... He was looking off the side of the bench and saw me. "Hey young Pete! Come help me find my brass!" I run over for the good assignment! I found it and as I got off my knees I saw Brickner's hand on the bench. All his fingernails were purple! I asked my Dad about it later at home. "Brick's a leadburner....and a good one! Does it all the time. Lead makes your fingernails purple. Most the leadburners are that way." He was one of the best shots out there and won a turkey the next weekend. He seemed healthy to me 8 years later until he retired. I think of him often when lead poisoning comes up.
They were tearing out that old process as the tanks and piping wore out in the 50's. My Dad must have salvaged a literal ton of lead from the scrap! I still remember my Mother yelling at him. He smelted in the garage and it stunk! I later would know that smell as Sulfuric Acid! I still shoot bullets with a little of that old lead in them!
We built a Chevron fertilizer plant in Wyoming in the 80's. Our process made sulfuric acid first to react with phosphate rock and create phosphoric acid for fertilizer. I stayed a while after startup and was hiring people for the maintenance department. I was sick of interviewing people for sure! A big ol' kid come in... I could see he was as strong as a bull. He was visiting his brother there. This guy worked in San Manuel, AZ for a copper smelter (Phelps Dodge I think) "I do any maintenance work... Weld, millwright, piping, electrical, crane operator.... But I like to leadburn the best!" His last sentence hit me between the eyes. He kept going at my silence....."I see a sulfuric plant over there." He pointed a thick finger out the window. "Got any lead lined equipment?" "Nope sorry..... Lined with some hi-tech polymer they say." His smile faded. Welder huh? I thought.... Good at everything huh? Only then I spoke. "I'm going to weld test you Jack" "OK" he says. He passed in flying colors and it wasn't an easy test! And he was the most versatile mechanic I even hired! He could do anything you wanted well!
A couple years later he said something about his 'downtime' in Arizona. I asked him about it. He leadburned all the time.... He loved it too and Phelps Dodge loved it because he was their best. But they blood tested him every 6 months...... Jack said welding lead 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, would raise his mmgdl up to the MSHA max. Six months lay off brought it back down! So he said he'd leadburn 6 months and usually operate the crane for 6 months. Good shot too...he hunted with us!
I heard lead paint is bad for kids and have seen a lot of kids chew on old painted cribs in the old days. May be true. but I haven't seen it.
What has anyone seen first hand on lead poisoning???
Pete