You can go to home depot, lowes, or whatever home improvement store they have in socal. Buy "plasti-dip" (not the spray can) and coat them yourself.
I thought I heard that lead was primarily only dangerous to ingest (or get shot with). The issue with lead paint is that children tend to eat loose flaking paint chips AFAIK. I don't know why paint chips would look tasty, but that's what I heard.
If you get some kind of pouch system you can more easily use coated lead. You can also use soft lead bags. I use the latter, bought empty bags from a dive store and filled it with inexpensive used shotgun "shot" from a local gun range. I think they charged me $25 for 50lb of the stuff. If you do that, wash it first.. reclaimed shot is dirty. The pouches are plenty secure, I've never had one come open or tear. Another buddy of mine actually made her own pouches with some thick "cloth" and a needle and thread. She spent almost nothing on her weights. If you buy the pouches and shot (for the same price I paid) you can have nice soft 5lb weights for $7.50 each. Much cheaper than stores around here sell hard lead for. We made four of every size from 1-5lb for well under $100 and I bring the bag of weights when I go on (road, not flying) dive trips. I've lent them out many times.
I looked it up. Here's what OSHA has to say about lead:
The lead we use in scuba is not an organic lead compound. That's why nobody is raising cain.
So, from that perspective - hard lead weights are safer for your child than soft lead. They'd have to bite or break off a chunk and eat it. Lead shot could potentially be eaten.
I thought I heard that lead was primarily only dangerous to ingest (or get shot with). The issue with lead paint is that children tend to eat loose flaking paint chips AFAIK. I don't know why paint chips would look tasty, but that's what I heard.
If you get some kind of pouch system you can more easily use coated lead. You can also use soft lead bags. I use the latter, bought empty bags from a dive store and filled it with inexpensive used shotgun "shot" from a local gun range. I think they charged me $25 for 50lb of the stuff. If you do that, wash it first.. reclaimed shot is dirty. The pouches are plenty secure, I've never had one come open or tear. Another buddy of mine actually made her own pouches with some thick "cloth" and a needle and thread. She spent almost nothing on her weights. If you buy the pouches and shot (for the same price I paid) you can have nice soft 5lb weights for $7.50 each. Much cheaper than stores around here sell hard lead for. We made four of every size from 1-5lb for well under $100 and I bring the bag of weights when I go on (road, not flying) dive trips. I've lent them out many times.
I looked it up. Here's what OSHA has to say about lead:
Source: Substance data sheet for occupational exposure to lead - 1910.1025 App ALead can be absorbed into your body by inhalation (breathing) and ingestion (eating). Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin.
The lead we use in scuba is not an organic lead compound. That's why nobody is raising cain.
So, from that perspective - hard lead weights are safer for your child than soft lead. They'd have to bite or break off a chunk and eat it. Lead shot could potentially be eaten.
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