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Thread: Bismuth help!!!

  1. #1
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    Default Bismuth help!!!

    I was exposed to bismuth as a part of melting it to make shot.i feel very sick now and I feel like I'm out of it. I have shivers and I can't stop shaking. My breathing feels shallow and my stomach hurts. Should I be worried or will this subside.

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    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Go to hospital emergency.

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    Bisnmujth is considered very safe. It is used as lead replacement in solder for food production utensils, as well as in large quantities in cosmetics and medicines (e.g. for diarrhoea).
    So it is unlikely that the bismuth is the culprit in your case What else was in the melt? Zinc, lead? You need to tell the emergency department as much as you can about the exposure, particularly any other metals, so they can test your blood levels of those. If it was just bismuth, you may well have other isues....
    What you so briefly describe sounds like zinc 'flue' or zinc poisoning. Not good.....
    Cheers, Joe
    retired - less energy, more time to contemplate projects and more shed time....

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacarver18 View Post
    I was exposed to bismuth as a part of melting it to make shot.i feel very sick now and I feel like I'm out of it. I have shivers and I can't stop shaking. My breathing feels shallow and my stomach hurts. Should I be worried or will this subside.
    Are you still with us mate? Recover ok?

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    Maybe it was more serious than we thought!

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    Hi Guys,

    Covid 19 maybe ? The US is rife with it and getting worse daily ! Though not according to Trump !
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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    I did a little looking in a couple of old toxicology textbooks. It would be unusual to have toxicity from elemental bismuth. They describe bismuth toxicity from chronic exposure or medical administration of bismuth compounds in high doses over longer periods of time. Some wheelweights are made of zinc. Zinc toxicity as in welding galvanized metal causes "metal fume fever" a toxicity characterized by fever, aching and shaking chills. I've had it. It wasn't pleasant and I don't weld indoors on zinc for long periods. I've never heard of anyone getting zinc toxicity from melting wheelweights. I suppose it's possible if you were melting at a really high temperature. I try to melt lead between 600º and 700º F and skim off the zinc weights, which don't melt at that temperature. Zinc will ruin a melt of lead. I remember the zinc fumes leaving a sort of sweet taste in my mouth when I was welding the galvanized metal. If you get follow up from a doctor, let us know what it was so we learn from your experience.

  8. #8
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    He is either dead or has recovered.

    Please look at the post dates before posting. He made 3 posts in 11 minutes.

    Its an 18th Month old post and the poster did follow up on 13th May 2019.
    If I thought I had accidentally poisoned myself, I would be phoning the emergency medical number NOT tapping out emails.

    Jacarver 13th May 2019 9.35 PM.

    To check previous posts by Op
    L/ click on his name and previous posts link will come up. Click on that and the posts will be displayed.

    OK ?

  9. #9
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    I missed the date on the thread. I'm not a frequent visitor and was browsing the topics and assumed it was current because it hadn't been too far down in the list. I agree that it would have been wiser to seek medical help. My post however keeps this from being a report of someone being acutely poisoned from bismuth fumes. Unless he had an unusually high melt temperature that was really unlikely. Although best practice is to melt lead outdoors, there are people who melt lead indoors in winter and don't get lead poisoning. Although I don't have the source to quote readily at hand, my recollection is that the vapor pressure of molten lead is pretty low below 1000º F and that's why people get away with casting indoors.

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