Posted on 05/12/2017 2:41:44 PM PDT by PROCON
Lead dust discharged from firearms at gun ranges may be posing a significant health risk, a new analysis has concluded.
The review analysis of 36 studies conducted between 1975 and 2016, published recently in the journal Environmental Health, looked at the ways gun range lead exposure affected patrons, employees and family members.
For the analysis, the authors used the search engines Google Scholar, Pubmed and Science Direct to access studies related to blood lead levels (BLL) and firearms. From that search, 36 related articles were found from 15 countries around the world. Over half the articles were from the U.S.
The authors found that nearly all BLL measurements published in the reviewed studies exceeded the current maximum safe level of 5 μg/dL set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH).
In 31 studies BLLs > 10 μg/dL were reported in some shooters, 18 studies reported BLLs > 20 μg/dL, 17 studies > 30 μg/d, and 15 studies BLLs > 40 μg/dL. The studies found the higher levels of BLLs to be connected to lead discharge from guns at shooting ranges, number of bullets fired, and caliber of weapon fired.
From those results, the authors concluded that shooting ranges are a ‘significant’ health problem, as many adverse heath outcomes have been connected to high BLLs, such as tremors, high blood pressure, heart disease, and decreased kidney function. High BLLs can also lead to complications in pregnancy and lower IQ and impaired cognitive function in children.
To decrease the health risk, the study’s authors called for better ventilation systems at shooting ranges, banning smoking and eating at shooting ranges, and developed airflow systems for outdoor ranges. They also suggest changing clothes after shooting.
To eliminate lead dust risk completely, lead-free primers and lead-free bullets would have to be used, the authors said.
The study also found that those most at risk are those who frequently shoot at ranges, such as firearms instructors, police and military personnel.
In order to reduce that risk, the Department of Defense has lowered its BLL standard to 20 μg/dL, NPR News reported. That level is three times lower than what it used to be.
DOD spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel James Brindle told NPR those changes were implemented after a National Academy of Sciences report published in 2012 also showed DOD personnel faced significant health risks due to lead exposure.
“DoD’s subject matter experts in toxicology and occupational medicine used the Committee’s report to propose the lower allowable blood lead level,” Brindle said.
The lead exposure issue remains divisive, with some gun rights advocates questioning the validity of and motivations behind such studies, including National Shooting Sports Foundation Vice President Larry Keane.
“Well, that’s their opinion,” said Keane. “We believe there are efforts by others that want to diminish people’s participation in shooting sports or exercise their Second Amendment rights. They put out or advocate positions that are unsupported by the evidence.”
One of the authors of the analysis, Gabriel Filipelli, made it clear to the Indy Star that the analysis was not meant to take a stance on gun rights.
“This is not an anti-gun paper,” Filippelli said. “It’s a pro lead-protection paper.”
The whole lead poisoning canard was to explain or come up with excuses of why IQs are lower in the inner city.
It’s total bovine scat.
They took lead out of gas. I wonder how much lead is still in the soil by roadways. Mercury is a natural occurring element in my area and so is radon. Life is terminal so why listen to these nuts.
I need more lead in my diet so I will not ping while climbing the stairs.
It is a well-goooooooooooooooooooooogled paper.
Modern indoor ranges have filtered forced air ventilation with airflow in the downrange direction. Outdoor ranges are a little less controlled, but a lot more open. Gunshot residue on your hands likely contains some lead (from the primer). It’s a good idea (IMO) to wash up before eating/drinking/smoking.
Looks like I’ll have to find something else for target practice.
Precisely.
Yet they fail to cite a single case where a person was poisoned from lead dust.
[They took lead out of gas. I wonder how much lead is still in the soil by roadways.]
Or lead WW’s for that matter. LOL
Been bullet casting for many years now, never an issue with blood tests. Take reasonable precautions like not sucking on the lead ingots or licking the ladle and you’ll be fine.
I should be a drooling imbecile by now. I shot for years at an indoor facility that would not allow jacketed bullets and that had terrible ventilation. After the range sessions if I blew my nose, the tissue would be black.
Outdoor ranges are the best....
But it does show that indoor ranges need to work on ventilation and filtering...
Some of this is worth paying attention to. I shower and change clothes after indoor range time, and at least wash hands and change top garment if shooting long time outdoors.
This was probably another instance of someones brother or cousin getting a high $$$$$$$$.00 grant from the gubmint to do a study. This is a good way to put family and close friends on the gravy train.
“So I guess the solution is to ban lead ammunition?”
No, just use copper-jacketed ammunition. Problem solved!
I believe most shooters follow the same after-range hygiene procedures. That particulate crap gets all over you.
“A few years ago I asked the Doc to do a heavy metals blood panel. Results: no lead exposure above the norm.
The body stores heavy metals. A better measure would be a hair analysis. Or the best analysis would involve EDTA.
That is because by the 70s they were adding toxic flouride to our water and knew it was destroying IQ in our children, since it was known by the Nazi scientists who the Prescott Bush/Harrimans brought into the USA to destroy our AMA, APA and our health and university “research” centers and found NASA. (Harvard study/1912 proves it destroys 7 IQ pts. in children).
Why not get the poisonous flouride OUT of all our water, first, if the “government” is REALLY concerned about dangerous chemicals and keeping our children safe???
(Oh, right, our government is run and controlled by the psychopathic sodomites who are Malthusians at best and want a totalitarian system where we are ALL ignorant, dumb slaves for the elite pedophiles and their billion dollar child/organ sex rings.)
Nuremberg trials stated it is evil for any government to add any medication into water supplies.
Now we know why all the gun nuts voted fo Trump. /sarc
Suppressors catch much of the aersolized gunshot residue:
Obviously we need cheap, legal suppressors NOW..!
Get the government OUT of my gun range, my word...!
Just another sneaky healthcare-related communist attack on the 2nd Amendment...
I question the effects of lead dust being the same as actual lead exposure.
Are there long term studies of those who shot routinely and what their health is. From this papers analysis one could conclude that policemen become dumber the longer they are on the force (hold your snarky comments). It should be easy to do health studies on police and military maybe not so easy on hunters.
I just question the whole rationale of this paper
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