I was told that the CDC doesn't care about lead from shooting ranges .
Lead is so much not an issue that the CDC considers it not an issue.
So I had to see if that was true or just more B.S.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
Although the scope of this Alert is specifically targeted at indoor firing ranges, overexposures to lead and noise at outdoor firing ranges have been documented in several studies [Tripathi et al. 1991; Goldberg et al. 1991; Murphy 2007]. Many of the recommendations that are outlined in this Alert can also be applied to protecting workers and shooters who use outdoor and covered firing ranges.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
However, many firing range facilities lack environmental and occupational controls to protect the health of shooters and range personnel from effects of airborne lead, noise, and other potential exposures.
NIOSH = National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ,
As part of the CDC, NIOSH is the main US federal agency responsible for conducting research into occupational safety and health matters
NIOSH research shows that washing hands with soap and water is not completely effective in removing lead (and other toxic metals) from the surface of the skin. NIOSH researchers developed and patented a novel and highly effective skin decontamination/cleansing technology. NIOSH recommends use of this technology to reduce the risks of lead exposures after firing weapons.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report June 17, 2005 / 54(23);577-579: Lead Exposure from Indoor Firing Ranges Among Students on Shooting Teams --- Alaska, 2002—2004
During 2002--2004, the Alaska Environmental Public Health Program (EPHP) conducted lead-exposure assessments of school-based indoor shooting teams in the state. This investigation revealed that lead exposure can occur at indoor firing ranges despite federal regulations and specific guidelines pertaining to range design and operation.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report September 23, 1983 / 32(37);483-4,489: Reducing Exposures to Airborne Lead in Indoor Firing Ranges -- United States
Between 1980 and 1982, NIOSH completed nine evaluations of exposures to lead in indoor firing ranges. Results show that exposure of shooters to airborne lead is greatly reduced by replacing traditional lead bullets with nylon-clad, copper-jacketed, or zinc ammunition.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
Wear gloves and eye protection when using chemicals to clean weapons or firing range surfaces.
Practice good hygiene:
Wash hands, arms, and face before eating, drinking, smoking, or contact with others.
Change clothes and shoes before leaving the facility.
Wash clothes used at the firing range separately
from family’s clothes.
Inform pregnant workers and shooters about
possible risks to the fetus.
Provide workers with lockers and places to wash
to avoid take-home contamination.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
Reducing Exposure to Lead and Noise at Outdoor Firing Ranges
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently published recommendations for reducing exposure to lead and noise at indoor firing ranges [NIOSH 2009]. However, workers and users of outdoor firing ranges may be exposed to similar hazards. This followup document examines exposures at these ranges and recommends steps to reduce such exposures.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
This strategy emphasizes preventing lead exposure rather than responding after the exposure has taken place.
CDC concurred or concurred in principle with all of the recommendations approved by the ACCLPP.
CDC will emphasize that the best way to end childhood lead poisoning is to prevent, control or eliminate lead exposures. Since no safe blood lead level in children has been identified, a blood lead “level of concern” cannot be used to define individuals in need of intervention.
http://www.cdc.gov/...
Prevention Tips
Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. The key is stopping children from coming into contact with lead and treating children who have been poisoned by lead.
The goal is to prevent lead exposure to children before they are harmed. There are many ways parents can reduce a child’s exposure to lead. The key is stopping children from coming into contact with lead. Lead hazards in a child’s environment must be identified and controlled or removed safely.
How are children exposed to lead?
To further reduce a child’s exposure from non-residential paint sources:
shower and change clothes after finishing a task that involves working with lead-based products such as stain glass work, bullet making, or using a firing range.
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http://noflac.org/
Although outdoor firing ranges put more lead into the environment than nearly any other major industrial sector in the United States, they remain almost entirely unregulated. In just two years a typical outdoor firing range can have lead contamination equivalent to a five-acre Superfund site.
http://ohsonline.com/...
OSHA Fines Shooting Range Cleanup Firm $480,000
The agency also has placed Welch Group Environmental LLP into its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, according to its Jan. 10 announcement.
An enforcement action by OSHA's Region 4 includes proposed fines of $480,000 and the decision to place Welch Group Environmental LLP of Belton, S.C., into OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program, according to its Jan. 10 announcement. The citation lists 17 alleged health violations. Welch Group Environmental was contracted by Delray Shooting Center in Delray Beach, Fla. to clean a shooting range and reclaim the lead. OSHA said its inspection found Welch Group Environmental failed to protect workers from overexposure to lead.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/...
The Municipality of Anchorage, Kincaid Project Group, Land Design North and Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc., have agreed to complete the clean up of lead-contaminated soil at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska under a settlement announced today by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Kincaid Park is a 1,500-acre City Park owned by the Municipality of Anchorage. A biathlon shooting range operated at the park from approximately 1988 to 2007. The shooting range was contaminated with lead from bullets, with lead soil levels ranging as high as 68,000 parts per million.
Lead is highly toxic to people, especially children, when ingested or inhaled. Short term exposure can cause brain and kidney damage. Long term exposure can damage the blood and central nervous system.
http://epa.gov/...
Exposure Scenarios and Pathways
Land use adjacent to and near shooting ranges should be considered when developing current and future exposure scenarios for a site.
Under the current land use scenario, the potentially exposed
human populations of particular concern at an operating range are residents of adjacent residential properties, residents and farm workers on adjacent agricultural properties, and workers who are employed on adjacent commercial properties.
Other receptors include trespassers who use the site for recreational purposes such as fishing, hunting, and hiking (Peddicord and LaKind, 2000; U.S. EPA,
2001a), as well as other recreational users when the range is located on or within an area that is used for recreational activities other than target shooting (e.g., multi-use parks).
Under future land use scenarios, the potentially exposed population depends upon the intended or actual land use, which may include residential, agricultural, commercial, or industrial uses.