Confused: Brass vs copper vs bronze handles.

[Danke42]

There are different types of brass but the stuff used in common keys can be up around 2.5% lead. Small amounts can rub off upon surface contact. It isn't huge but remember, no amount of lead is good for you. This is why many brass keys are now coated and we have advisories to not let small children play with them.

Exactly how dangerous this is will depend on a lot of factors. For instance, how much lead is in your EDC brass? How often do you fondle your brass gear? How often do you touch your face or eat with your hands after using that gear? How often do you wash your hands after using your gear? What else gets stored in those pockets? An important question is how much lead you are picking up from other sources of exposure since it is cumulative.

Pretty safe since I don't have any brass stuff I carry around.

I do have some copper stuff.

 

[Ajack60]

I have the G-10 version: 9.5 oz. I definitely know it is in my pocket.

I love the look of the brass, copper, etc, but I'm not too crazy about the "lead exposure" part.

The lead exposure thing really isn’t a thing at all. Most every faucet in your house is made of brass which contains lead. You get water to drink, wash, cook with from those fixtures. Rubbing a brass knife won’t give you lead poisoning any time soon. Ingestion of lead or breathing dust that contains lead is more important to avoid than skin absorption from handling.