My wife had her broken her foot in a fall and when they X-rayed it the Doctor asked her if she knew that she had a needle in her foot ? My wife had zero recollection of ever stepping on a needle and it obviously has not caused her any pain . It's deep in the foot and they advised her to leave it alone unless it causes any issues .

It's been several years (maybe 10?) so I can't say this is "current" protocol.

As part of an orthodontic work up, we would take lateral cephalometric radiographs. Basically a profile view of the entire head. This young man's image showed 12 shotgun pellets in his cheek and along the jaw in addition to the normal anatomy. Apparently a friend in a duck blind across the field took a shot at an angle that caught him with #4s from about 100yds. No serious injury beyond the imbedded pellets which the surgeons left in place. He said it stung, but he didn't even need stitches. I'm guessing they were steel since that's required for waterfowl, but who knows what 12 year olds do?

According to various Internet articles, pencils never contained lead. As can be demonstrated with a 22 LR cartridge, lead will make marks on paper or similar surfaces, but if pencils contained the metal many people would have three-cornered fits at the idea. The fact that the term “lead pencil” was common at one time is simply one of countless demonstrations that once something gets misnamed, it’s possible for a term to become widely accepted and used by the ignorant with no thought to whether it’s correct. Sort of like “magwell” to refer to a magazine funnel.

Although it has no real bearing on the original topic question, President Garfield probably died from infection long after the gunshot wound he received during an assassination attempt because of how he was examined and probed with dirty fingers and unsterilized instruments. It’s believed he would have probably recovered fully if the wound had just been left to heal on its own.

My father shot one of my uncles with a pellet rifle when they were boys. Uncle Paul carried it in his leg for over seventy years without problem. I'm sure manufacturing processes were different back then but I doubt you will have an issue.

I had a co-worker who was shot in the chest years ago with a .45. Missed the heart/aorta by "that much". He said they decided that removing the bullet was much more of a risk than leaving it in place. I thought he was bullshitting me. So, we did the xrays right there in the clinic, and there it was, right where he said it would be.

So, you've had a lead pellet in you for 25 years, and now you're wondering if it is dangerous?

Put it this way- if it was, by now you'd have all kinds of symptoms of lead poisoning.

A lot of lead pellets and bullets are an alloy, not pure lead. Also, a solid chunk of lead that you didn't ingest but is in your musculature, isn't the avenue for lead poisoning.

We had to get all trained up on lead for home renovation, so here goes:

The people in real danger of lead poisoning aside from those who work with and around it, are kids. Because their bodies are growing they need building blocks, lead mimics the nutrients needed and is ingested through the mouth because kids touch things and put their hands in their mouths. Children who have a poor diet are the most at risk, so kids in shitty public housing get screwed in a variety of ways.

For a healthy adult who has no vitamin deficiencies, the risk of lead poisoning is very low. An indoor shooting range where you can breath in lead particles is more dangerous than the pellet. If you're ever in a range where the ventilation isn't working great, and you lick your lips, it will taste sweet. They called lead paint "wall candy" for a reason.

So as long as you aren't eating/breathing it, and aren't a young child, generally very low to no risk.

If it hasn't sickened or killed you by now, it's not going to.

Years ago, one of my uncles got adopted by a stray dog. While being treated for another ailment, a .22 bullet showed up on the dog's X-ray. The vet said it wasn't hurting anything and wasn't worth the trouble or expense to remove.

One of my uncles carried D-Day shrapnel the rest of his life

I'm not a Doctor but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express once...

It's my understanding that it is not uncommon to leave foreign objects in if they pose no harm. In this case you had a small entry wound and wound channel leading to the pellet. To extract it would require surgery to open you up to the level of the pellet and extract it. That would leave a much more notable scar and open the potential for other complications related to the surgery

I found this interesting article on the subject.
https://www.medical-malpractic...od-medical-practice/

and this
https://www.nbcwashington.com/...ing-effects/2903443/

If I was you, I'd consult my doctor and see if there is a way to test your blood for lead contamination. If it exists have it removed. Perhaps something you might want to do periodically.

Thanks for all the insight / thoughts — about what I expected.

I’ll run it by my PCP when I see him next.

My best friend is a cop. Some years back he was shot and the .45ACP bullet lodged in his liver. The doctors decided that it would cause more damage to attempt to remove the bullet than to just let it stay where it was, that the liver would encase it with a protective shell. It's still there and hasn't caused him any problems.

flashguy

Relaxx. I'z ben reloden lead bullits fur yearz. Lead hasent hurt me nonz.