sand versus shot in speaker stands

As a safer alternative, maybe look at steel or brass shot. Go to the Starsound website and look at their microbearing steel that you can purchase, or maybe go to a blasting supply for steel shot of various sizes. However, I believe the brass shot or beads are quite expensive.

Lead is known to be a poison and very dangerous because of what it does to your body and how it can rapidly accumulate and take a very long time to leave the body. It is especially hazardous to developing children.

If I were going to use lead, it would only be on a permanent installation, and not for stands that are going to be periodically taken apart or have the filling removed. I would fill the stands outside of my house and only use it in stands where the cavity filled with lead is air tight and able to be sealed, like on my sound anchor stands. I would wear gloves and an appropriate respiratory apparatus. Here is what I found posted by OSHA in response to a question about handling lead buckshot.

US Department of Labor - OSHA
You have questions regarding the handling of lead, which you described as lead balls or buckshot. We apologize for this delay in providing you with a response.

The OSHA standard which regulates exposure to lead in general industry is 29 CFR 1910.1025. This standard requires that employers ensure that the airborne levels of lead remain below the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/m3 as averaged over an time period. Lead becomes airborne when it is heated or abraded. It is unlikely that solid lead buckshot would produce an airborne-exposure level above the PEL or the action level of 30 µg/m3. However, it is advisable to wear gloves while handling the lead shot and to always wash your hands before eating, drinking, or smoking.

Leadheads, When you sell your speakers or stands be sure and tell potential buyers that you contaminated them with a hazardous substance.

Also note that when you remove the lead or lead/sand mix to make the items lighter for shipping the fill is a hazardous waste and must be disposed of in accordance with state and federal regulations. I worked in environmental compliance for 20 years so this is not just an opinion---it's the law.

But it is not just the disposal of lead that is a problem. The mining and smelting of lead also creates an environmental consequence. Sand is much friendlier.

Regulations have been passed to reduce or eliminate even minor amounts of lead and other toxic materials from new electronic equipment and to recover and recycle materials that have been used. I find it very sad and disturbing that anyone would still consider using lead in massive quantities for selfish purposes.

I used garden pebbles (also called beach pebbles or river pebbles). You can get many different types. You can even use Pea gravel although it needs a good washing first, but it's super cheap. anyway, you can get garden pebbles pretty cheap, and you can get mixed or quartz or whatever and you can get very small ones -- the small ones are very dense and are no mess to work with, pour easily, more desnse than kitty litter, don't retain moisture, don't make any dust.

Interesting issues regarding shot and lead. We have loaded our own shotgun shells in all 4 gauges for 60 years. 12, 20, 28, and 410. We use MEC 650 loaders, and we are competive internationally ranked skeet and trap shooters. At any given time, we have 300-500 pounds of bagged lead shot on hand, and have yet to have a 3 headed baby, nor have we glowed in the dark.
Now if I can just get rid of this nasty eye twitch...

Lead shot is just fine (the real tiny stuff from the gun store)- much better/heavier than sand in my experience. I have filled a Target stand with it, along with a pair of speaker stands- I did not have any 'dust' when I was filling mine- wore gloves while doing so; then sealed the holes with black electrical and/or duct tape- don't see how this would be a problem, as it is all inside the stand(s)...