sand versus shot in speaker stands

all of lead's toxic charms are still being discovered. i do not think any manufacturers are recommending it anymore.

Would there be an issue in using lead if once installed it were potted in place using expanding foam or other 'goo'?
How about using some kind of epoxy resin to fill the stand/voids after filling w/shot? No way will it ever come out or get to atmosphere.

Wear gloves / long sleeves / and a particle/dust mask when handling it?

Playbox sand does have a moisture problem when purchased. Once it is dried out in does not "collect' moisture (that is it does nothing to draw moisture out of the air, and if exposed will have the same moisture level as it's surroundings.)
Anyway, I have sand in all my racks and the speaker stands. I dried it on a stove, in a skillet. It takes awhile to dry out, and needs to be stirred.. You can tell when it is dry. I put it in ziplock bags after drying. (I was able to make sand-filled racks putting the sand into SCREW HOLES! (Make your own funnel out of clay built up around the screw-hole. works better than any other way to create a funnel, especially in odd angled spots, successfully!) Remember to vibrate the rack or stand to settle the sand.
Also, for speaker stands, once loaded, check the way the stand rests on the floor. If you use four spikes into carpet, make certain the speaker cannot 'rock' a bit. I had to adjust the spikes with washers because the underlying floor was a bit 'off' Once I got it right, the speakers (B&W 805s) seemed welded to the spot, and sounded better.

Blasting sand is dry in the bag and ready to use. No stirring or baking is required.

Elizabeth is correct. Sand is neither hydrophilic nor deliquescent. Sand does NOT absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Sand attracting moisture is another myth perpetuated by repetition by those who flunked chemistry.

One thing I neglected to mention, we don't physically handle the lead shot. It is taken from the bag it comes in and deposited in an awaiting supply tray, then fed into the MEC presses.
The way it is stored in it's original 25 pound sack has never caused us problems.

That being said, I sure wouldn't ingest it, nor would I handle it for any length of time without hand protection, and I sure wouldn't let the kids play with it.

The cost of lead shot has sky rocketed over the last 50 years, but the alternative in steel shot is even more expensive in 25 pound bags.

I agree with Jaybo in much of what he says. I'm not a big fan of sand for moisture purposes, but if you need shot for this purpose alone of weighting down your stands, use steel shot.