Can you have lead exposure through handling lead blocks, or is lead stable and safe when in this form?

Question

My father regularly uses lead blocks at his work place to weight down various things, and such. I'm just curious that if he was remiss over washing his hands (and he usually is), or if some of it got on his clothing (if that's possible with a lead block) that he could come home and contaminate the door k***s in the house, the food, etc. In addition, could his clothing pollute all of my own laundry with lead if washed in the same machine?

In otherwords, could the lead from the lead blocks at his workplace in someway find their way back into my home, and into my body?

Answer 1

Absolutely. And if you have any siblings under around seven, it is especially troubling. Under that age and the effects could be permanent. Someone asked another question about lead recently, and it led me to verify my beliefs about it. Even though lead bullets are typically left inside when someone is wounded, they can be a cause of lead poisoning, as much as several decades later. If your father has lead on his clothes, simply laundering them at home can cause contamination to someone else in the family. Lead dust, lead compounds, especially in paints and lead in the water, air  and soil are all potential sources. You should get someone who can talk to your father if he will not listen to you, or look up on the Internet some good sites and have him read them.

Good luck.