Lead poisoning now?

[Engineer]

Have you been reading these articles like this?

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pb ... 1047/Lives

Now I cannot see manufacturers making lead-free keys just for California, so presumably it will affect all of us in time. Normally, I would not pay too much notice, other than a passing "tut" that it will probably drive up the costs of blanks again (as if brass isn't getting expensive enough already), but did you get that about it wrecking manual key cutting machines? $1,000 a time isn't funny.

Since we are all likely to be comming across lead-free before long, it might be as well to remember we should not try and remove the brass so quickly as we have been used to doing. This should protect our machines from damage.

While I'm glad at the prospect of less chance of getting lead poisoning, has anyone ever actually heard of anyone getting lead poisoning from key cutting? Still, I suppose anything that reduced the amount of lead hanging around is probably good - I'm just not sure my language will reflect that if I jam up my machine in a couple of years time when I'm busy and have forgotten to slow down the rate of feed!

[Legion303]

As grownups we generally know not to chew on lead or suck our fingers after handling things with lead in them, so we'll be OK with leaded keys. And kids too young to know better generally don't have continuous access to keys. So I'm not really sure that lead-free keys protect consumers from anything.

-steve

[Buggs41]

That is true for 99% of normal (ie. can think on their own) Americans. The other 1% decide to live in California, and make decisions for the rest of us.

[freakparade3]

That is true for 99% of normal (ie. can think on their own) Americans. The other 1% decide to live in California, and make decisions for the rest of us.

Truer words have never been spoken. The whole state is just one big soapbox.

[prag]

How much lead piosoning can a bunch of say 10 keys give off? Us locksmiths must all have piosoning just from cutting all the keys over the years.

[Engineer]

I didn't even know that brass keys contained lead to make machining of them easier. Apparently from reading all this, it is a very small ammount though. It can be up to 3% from memory, but typically it is more like 1%.

California is legislating to ensure it is not over 1% in future.

From what I've read, it seems to have happened because a mother gave her very young child her keys to play with daily. The child was sucking on them and so got lead poisoning from them, as the rest of the child's environment appears to have been clean.

In other words, they are not even sure it was the keys, but are playing safe. Children of course are more susceptable to lead poisoning, but when you are cutting them, how much dust instead of chippings is produced and so inhaled?

Just out of interest now, I'd like a test to see if my lead levels are any higher than background level anyway? Unfortunately I would not be a good subject as I live in an old house with lead piping, so my lead level is probably elevated anyway

[straightpick]

Low lead keys wrecking key cutting machines? Well that's a new one! I've cut thousands of keys, generally original blanks, that are mostly nickel-silver and safe deposit blanks, which are much harder than brass. Never ruined anything. Have to wonder what kind of cutter wheels they are using. They are probably using rotary file type cutters instead of milling cutters. As for California, well, let's just say I think the government is putting that border fence in the wrong place!

[mattman]

I work with lead everyday on my non-locksmithing job (lead chips, lead dust, lead oxide, molten lead, etc.), and it actually takes a lot of exposure on a daily basis for your lead levels to get up to a dangerous level. Of course, everyone's body absorbs and gets rid of lead at different rates, but I seriously doubt that cutting keys is a high risk for lead poisoning.

Matt

[Urbex]

Everything causes cancer and or birth defects in California, it says that on everything I buy

Not everything, but you get the idea.