Halberkill Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 There's around 1% lead or less in pretty much all white metal alloys. This is not true. Alloys can be entirely lead free, aside from accidental contamination. Though to claim to be lead free you have to be negative for a typical lead litmus tests, which Reaper minis are not, and any mini I've tested that has claimed to be lead free has been negative. If you haven't noticed, Reaper no longer has the lead free label on their mini packages. They probably started using lead more as the price of tin has been going up. Lead also helps increase the flow of alloys it is in, giving a higher number of castings that completely fill the mold and saving money from having to redo casts that didn't fill completely. Alot of mini companies had changed to lead free minis to proactively after lead paint became an issue in the 80's, including Reaper for a while, but there is no current legal compulsion for a company to do so, only by compulsion of the consumer that desires lead free minis. There's also lead in the solder on your roof, electrical appliances, and car. Lead flashing is still used to help keep water out of your roof- it's a narrow sheet of pretty much 100% lead. Matter of fact lead is used a lot, everywhere. Lead is usually only a problem if it's powdered, and you eat it. To that end definitely don't let kids get near filings from any metal miniature, and don't let them touch a miniature that's not primed, painted and sealed. Pretty much everything here is correct in varying instances, except there is the additional danger from non - sealed minis that they naturally produce dust with age, and this dust can be breathed in, which is worse than eating it. This is why most lead fishing weights you find now are sealed in vinyl or clear coated. The room that I had my unsealed Reaper minis in had 998 micrograms per square foot of lead dust, whereas the rest of the house which had lead paint issues at the time, was less than 20 micrograms/sq.ft. Just by this data I can say that Reaper's metals are potentially more dangerous than old lead paint. Halber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vejlin Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 That's very interesting. At what level is lead dust considered a health issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I've never seen a Reaper package that said it was lead free. They all had the "handcrafted in fine pewter" label on them (if I have the wording correct, I'm at work and don't have any blister packs handy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingwreckage Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Second Vejlin's question: what is the level of contamination that is considered dangerous? Considering that data on breathing it in, I'll be wiping down an area on my desk that still has some pewter trimmings..... rather than using the vacuum cleaner! Currently all my miniatures live out of the house (a few are old-fashioned lead alloy) but until recently I did work on them indoors. How can I go about testing for lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingwreckage Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 "The daily tolerable doses recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Commitee on Food Additives is 3.5 µg/kg of corporal weight [9]. If a child, weighing 12 kg, eats just 1 g of paint chips (contaminated with a 5 g/kg Pb) in one day, his daily lead intake will amounts to 5000 µg, which is approximately 120 times the daily-tolerable dose!" Source: http://www.iph.fgov.be/EPIDEMIO/EPIEN/pben...ble_Pb_sati.pdf "Lead poisoning in children is defined as blood lead levels equal to or greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (> 10 ug/dL). Eighty-two percent (82%) of the childhood cases (134 cases) were in the lower ranges of lead poisoning, 10 to <20 ug/dL. The remaining 29 cases (18%) were in the moderate to severe range of lead poisoning (>20 ug/dL)." Source: http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/invsurv/lead/...ss_01_final.pdf If I remember, at least one board member has had a child tested for lead and the tests came back considerably below average, let alone toxic, levels. The leading causes of lead poisoning in the Arizona paper there were paint and home remedies, "home remedies (azarcon & greta)" but the sample was only about 200 cases. Looking at the numbers, I'm rather glad we got this old house fixed up some years before any little 'uns came along; there is no lead based paint internally (and any that there is is under a layer of paint sealer and acrylic paint) and all the floor coverings are new. The exterior paint could use a test for lead though. For dealing with lead paint residue, use a high-phosphate powder laundry detergent: http://www.leadsafeusa.com/everyone/reduce5.html Finally, lead poisoning is facilitated by low calcium and/or iron levels. I recommend Australian beef ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halberkill Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Second Vejlin's question: what is the level of contamination that is considered dangerous? Considering that data on breathing it in, I'll be wiping down an area on my desk that still has some pewter trimmings..... rather than using the vacuum cleaner! Currently all my miniatures live out of the house (a few are old-fashioned lead alloy) but until recently I did work on them indoors. How can I go about testing for lead? I got my house tested though the state goverments health services. I'm sure if you check out your state goverment, they will have similar options. Well, for children under five, 45 micrograms/ decaliter of blood is lead poisoning; get them to the hospital quick. I'm not sure how many liters of blood are in a child, but the average adult has 5 liters, or 50 decaliters. My issue started when my daughter had 10 micrograms/dl, which required a lead test of my house and repeated testing for her. Adults can take much higher levels though, as lead tends to harm developing nerves, and an adult doesn't have as many new nerves as a child. Wet wiping is exactly what is recommended with lead. Also if you drink milk when you know you are going to be working with lead, the calcium in it tends to neutralize the lead before it is absorbed by your body. (edit) Though lead salts tend to be more poisonous because they get around the neutralizing effect of calcium. Halber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halberkill Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I've never seen a Reaper package that said it was lead free. They all had the "handcrafted in fine pewter" label on them (if I have the wording correct, I'm at work and don't have any blister packs handy). Hmm, you may be correct, upon checking my saved up swag points packages going back to the 2000's, none of them say lead-free. Though I do know that I had a number of older Reaper minis that had tested lead negative, which is why I didn't put my Reapers away with my other lead minis before my daughter was born. Halber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halberkill Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 "Lead poisoning in children is defined as blood lead levels equal to or greater than 10 micrograms oflead per deciliter of blood (> 10 ug/dL). Eighty-two percent (82%) of the childhood cases (134 cases) were in the lower ranges of lead poisoning, 10 to <20 ug/dL. The remaining 29 cases (18%) were in the moderate to severe range of lead poisoning (>20 ug/dL)." Though low levels of lead may not be fatal, they do cause developmental damage that may be life long, as damages young nerve cells means fewer older nerve cells after the initial growth stage, which is why lead poisoning is so serious in children, but not so much in adults. For dealing with lead paint residue, use a high-phosphate powder laundry detergent: http://www.leadsafeusa.com/everyone/reduce5.html I didn't know this, this is helpful. It makes sense being that they way lead is poisonous is that is binds with the phosphates in the proteins that cells produce, making those proteins effectively garbage that the cell can't use or get rid of and eventually dies from the build up. Anyways, this all may be going a bit off topic...but the main point is I really like the new vinyl reaper minis because there are no lead issues with them. Halber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisandra Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I picked one of the LE's this weekend. For a Prepainted Mini It's not bad. It's not the top I have seen, after all this isn't Mcfarland toys, but it's better than some people's table top standards. I can even take his left arm off for battle damage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 In a somewhat unrelated note, there was a headline on my web news today that the owner of the toy manufacturer (the factory in China) responsible for the recalled toys committed suicide last night. According to some who knew him, he had been under alot of pressure ever since the recall. In a much more related note, WOULDN'T it be lovely if Reaper made plastic toys with articulating joints OR bendy-bodies (like Gumby)? Yeah I know it's far-fetched wishful thinking on my behalf, but still... would be cool. In a WAY more related note, will the PPMs be available for purchase either in the BL store or with Gift Certificates? I know in the past out-of-house products were not available with certificates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper User EdPugh Posted August 13, 2007 Reaper User Share Posted August 13, 2007 If you haven't noticed, Reaper no longer has the lead free label on their mini packages. They probably started using lead more as the price of tin has been going up. Reaper Miniatures has never published "Lead Free" on our miniature packs or packaging. NOT because they contain lead, but because our industry has never legally established what "Lead Free" means. Lead Free in the plumbing industry is not the same as Lead Free in the food industry, and is not the same as Lead Free in the electronics industry etc. Our attorney advised us not to use that label, so we never have. Miniatures are exempted by specific mention in the 1987 Federal Lead Reduction Act. As such, several companies (not Reaper) cast miniatures using up to 95% lead in their mix, and do so legally. If this is a concern to you, be careful. Our current metal mix is 90-92% tin with the balance made up of antimony, bismuth, lead and zinc. We have used this same formula for 15 years. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaslater Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Thanks for the information. I think Reaper has fantastic metal quality, having collected, painted, and gamed with models over twenty years. Keep up the good work. Nice to hear from the guy runnin' the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFults Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I had to get my FLGS to special order the LE figures. They came in today, and I'm very pleased with the quality. The color palate used on the figures is a bit brighter than the one WOTC uses on their prepaints, which is a good thing as it brings out the details of the sculpts. I'm ready for the next wave of figures! Regards, V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topfeather Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I grabbed one of these guys the other day (the minotaur) and they do look much better than the pictures posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaslater Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ever notice every plastic mini looks better in person? My friend and long time DM has spent untold cash, buying plastic minis BY THE CASE, not just a box or two, so he's got THOUSANDS. When I look at the models on any website, they always photograph worse than they look in person. I take that as par for the course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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