Jack, The shot in S & B ammunition was/is[?] rolled to final dia. I have no idea if it was dropped before milling, but it could have been. Shot towers & dropping is the least expensive method of mfg. I also think that the Italian RC ammunition mills the shot for their 'trap' loads, BICBW.
Salopian, Best quit the beaver hats, if'n you're mak'n 'em;-) Mad hatters' origins, ya know, but its Mercury, not lead, that was causal.
A few nut cases are about in the reloading community, but they were dense t' begin with and then went & did something really stupid. Lead poisoning, from reloading[?], you prolly need to wash more than your hands, but do at least that, always.
PPD, Before you go and get all upset, I do understand that it is an honest question and one that deserves an honest answer. I have several close friends whose careers have been spent in the medical field ranging from current heads of quite serious transplants to pathology and they assure me that my response is both frank & accurate. Do with it what you will.
All the hubub, IMHO, is mostly just that, melded w/ a good dose of tort. Skakespeare was, in some ways, a predecessor of Jefferson.