NCJ Number
208674
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 53 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 46,48,49
Date Published
January 2005
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the threat, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of lead poisoning associated with the firing of a gun and the firing-range environment.
Abstract
Lead causes severe health impairments at even relatively low levels in the body. It damages the brain, nervous system, kidneys, heart, reproductive system, and hemoglobin production. Shooters and their families are exposed to lead residues from the three-fourths lead in the cartridge priming compound and lead in the bullet. When a cartridge primer detonates and the powder charge is ignited, a cloud of lead particles is expelled into the air and onto the shooter's hands. Additional lead particles are sheared off the bullet as it travels down the barrel and are projected into the air as they exit the muzzle. Lead is also propelled into the air when the bullet impacts the target. According to the National Bureau of Standards, lead bullets are the source of 80 percent of the airborne lead at indoor firing ranges. Only 0.16-grain of lead in the bloodstream can result in acute lead poisoning. The prevention of lead poisoning is best achieved by limiting exposure by shooting only at well-ventilated ranges and using lead-free ammunition with nontoxic primers. Proper nutrition is also important, particularly the eating of foods high in vitamins C and E, which may help prevent brain damage due to high exposure to lead. Treatment for lead poisoning may involve the use of drugs called chelating agents, which bind with the lead in the blood and help the body excrete it at a faster rate in the urine. This article also discusses symptoms of lead poisoning and testing for lead levels.