Brass lenses WARNING Lead Paint

[CCHarrison]

Just a note of caution for those of who like to play, take apart, and clean older brass lenses - many *may* contain lead paint. While testing some other products for lead content I casually tested a few lenses I own and rougly 1/3 contained lead in the black paint that is used internally on these lenses, inside the lens hoods and on the reverse of many flanges. The worst offender was an 1860 CC Harrison lens... Almost all Darlot lenses did NOT contain lead.... just a note of caution....

Dan

www.antiquecameras.net

[EdWorkman]

So who gnaws on lenses?

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

What was the concentration of the lead and how much of the paint is there? If yo lived in the 70s and early 80s you probably go more lead contamination from car exhaust than you ever going to get from the lens.

[Glenn Thoreson]

I guess they didn't have lead in France. Just don't lick the bloody things. I'm not gonna stop playing with them because they might have lead in them. I have some in my backside, too.

[John Schneider]

Until it was banned, most paints had lead-based pigments. Also, most brasses contain small amount of lead to facilitate free machining. So, in modern society you'll never fully escape exposure to lead. Just wash your hands before eating/smoking, and take care not to inhale any dust if you sand/file an older lens (as in filing out a filter ring dent, etc.).

[GPS]

While it may be true that the paint contains lead the warning is absolutely out of place. Goodness, how often do you touch the inner paint??? For days and days, on and on, from the morning to the evening? Give me your old brass lenses if you're in this horrible danger, please! Like that you will make a substantial investment in your health situation...

[GPS]

Ship the worst offender - CCHarrison 1860 -to me! Immediately! It will be disposed off in a very ecological way...

[domenico Foschi]

If it keeps going like this it will end up that we can't even hold aero ektars between our legs....

[GPS]

If it keeps going like this it will end up that we can't even hold aero ektars between our legs....

Don't start again! You know you burnt yourself with this kind of comments once before... and regretted it badly afterward... It comes up on Google all the time... Think of your carrier!

[Robbie Shymanski]

Does this mean I shouldn't use my decorative uranium glass tea set any more?