DragonFire Alcometer - Lead Balls for Ballast?

ohyea

So I needed to stir a liter of yeast hydration and I had a DragonFire Alcometer sitting there so the tip broke off in the yeast and I didn't realize it cause all the sticky yeast clinging and when rinsing out the beaker I saw the little black balls. Are these lead? They are in my fermenter now...

ohyea

Just thinking if they are lead they are so small that a ph of 3.9 when finished they may have dissolved a lot of lead into the wash. I tried a magnet and they didn't stick so....

punkin

Yes mate lead.

jacksonbrown

Distilling should leave the lead behind I would think but you'll want to give it a good clean after.
Prolonged exposure is when you need to worry.
I've gone through a lot of lead split shot for fishing. Also a lot in bunnies and ducks too.
I'm fine :-S @-) =))

ohyea

Shit. That's not good. Should I dump the 50gal of wash?

ohyea

What I mean is will lead come up a column? Half the balls were caught by the epoxy in the alcohmeter so just a little glass and lead in the bottom of the fermentor that can stay there when I rack it off.

punkin

I can only say what i'd do but can't advise you on your own choices.

My decision would be based on the value of the wash (an allgrain i had spent dollars and time on versus a sugar wash) and the fact that i spent most of my childhood walking round with a mouthful of lead pellets waiting for a bird to show itself.

jacksonbrown

My old man has had a slug under the skin, just above his eye since he was a kit. Radiographers love it.

grim

No worries, there is more lead in a pork bun on the street in Shanghai.

ohyea

I'll just let it run its ferment and see. First time with this recipe so I will just get familiar with it and the lead nutrients....

Kapea

FWIW
In the US, action level concentration for lead in drinking water is 15 micrograms per liter
or 15 parts per billion.

That's like finding 15 cents in $150 million.

jacksonbrown

This came up in conversation the other day.
Some here might find it interesting.

GD50

Im with you @punkin . Spent half my youth with lead slugs in my mouth same with my wife ( poor birds ) but she uses that as an excuse as to why her brain is so = well = strange.

Kapea

Make that 15 cents in $10 million (oops)

If it were me, I would not use the lead contaminated mash, but everyone has to determine their own tolerance for risk for themselves.

And, buy yourself a real stir stick. ;)

Unsensibel

I would dump it. Usually your wash gets pretty acidic and that's what's leaching the lead out. Inn the end is just money and you only have one body/brain

FullySilenced

syphon off the wash throw away the trub and yeast bed... no pellets would be in the wash then ... if they haven't been in the wash long prolly ok but its your call happy stillin,

FS

FloridaCracker

I've been told that I have two brains; one in my head and one in my, well, forget it.

zymurgybob

@FloridaCracker said: I've been told that I have two brains; one in my head and one in my, well, forget it.

...and only enough blood supply to run one at a time?

FloridaCracker

Absolutely.

grim

How many mg of lead are in 50kg of cereal grain as a result of pollution? About 5-10mg?

Kapea

It's the dissolved solids that are the problem.
5-10mg = 5000-10000µg
50gal = 189L
10000µg/189L = 53µg/L
53ppb potential lead contamination.

grim

So what was the outcome? Were the OP's lead balls big enough to run the wash?

ohyea

Yea I ran it. Ferment went as planned. Racked it off the top, put the yeast and lead down the drain and flushed the dunder as well. Sucked cause this was my first run of it and needed the dunder but didn't want it if it had lead in it. Oh well try #2 is clearing now so I'll be back on track...