In air, like aluminum, it ‘rapidly’ oxidizes, to form an inert protective surface coating, which is why lead looks grey, unless a fresh surface is exposed, showing the bright silver-metallic color of pure lead. That was why “red lead’ and ‘grey lead’ coatings were routinely used on bridges & other structures to prevent corrosion.
MN (IIRC, though it may have been MI) recently did comprehensive tests for lead contamination of hunters’ deer carcases, and found any contamination in edible (as opposed to bloodshot) meat to be negligible, and well within government food standards...the enviroes have already lost that bet.
How was it ‘a damned dangerous thing’ for you? were you drinking lead compounds in solution, or breathing fumes from boiling lead? Sprinkling flakes of it on your cereal, mistaking it for colloidal silver?
Please tell us. Or, as another poster asked, was this sarcasm?
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How was it ‘a damned dangerous thing’ for you? were you drinking lead compounds in solution, or breathing fumes from boiling lead? Sprinkling flakes of it on your cereal, mistaking it for colloidal silver?
Please tell us. Or, as another poster asked, was this sarcasm?
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First off, thanks for the intelligent answer to my genuinely inquisitive question. It just seems to me that the properties that make lead ideal for ammunition aren’t all that magical - weight, softness / malleability, affordability. Look at the near miraculous nature of carbon fiber and all of the naturally occurring elements it can substitute for and outperform.
I had always wondered about potential for lead buildup in the environment from expended rounds. If you’ve seen research that concludes it’s not that big a deal then I can believe it. Lead isn’t really going to degrade out in the wild so I can see where that conclusion would be accurate.
So, if there’s no imminent environmental threat from spent rounds then a rush to find a substitute is not necessary. I’m pretty good with a rifle so I know tiny variations in the makeup of a round can have significant effect on its behavior. Even if somebody developed an ideal substitute I know a lot of folks would still prefer lead in the way that some people think vinyl records sound better than cds.
I was exposed to a massive dose of lead in aerosol in college when a dumbass dumped a pile of lead into a hot and nearly empty kiln vessel. I suffered permanent brain damage and still experience nerve pain because of the exposure. Heavy metals aren’t good for living things.
It does make sense though that spent ammo isn’t a big problem if there isn’t something in the environment that is going to cause it to break down.