Particle Mask (non-toxics)
This week I was at the indoor range shooting and noticed a couple of other people who were there shooting wearing a particle mask (dust mask). This piqued my curiosity as I wondered why these people were wearing dust masks.
Shooting for Lead Poisoning Even with all the education about lead-based paint, lead poisoning is still found in children. One often unrecognized source of lead is indoor shooting ranges where the air can be contaminated with lead dust.
Inhaling air containing lead dust can result in high blood lead levels. The dust can also be brought home on clothes. This can cause secondary lead poisoning, particularly in young children. The highest blood lead levels the Baltimore City Health Department ever recorded were in an attendant who regularly swept up in an amusement park shooting gallery. (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0816/is_n10_v9/ai_6885050)
The shooting-team coach was asymptomatic for lead exposure; in January 2002, he sought BLL testing from his health-care provider after reading about potential lead exposure at firing ranges. The BLL test result of 44 µg/dL was reported to EPHP in accordance with the Alaska lead surveillance system, which requires laboratories to report all BLLs >10 µg/dL. An epidemiologic investigation by EPHP revealed that the man was the chief range officer and shooting-team coach for firing range A, which was used primarily by adolescents. In February 2002, EPHP tested BLLs for all seven members of the shooting team, who were aged 15–17 years. The mean BLL was 24.3 µg/dL (range: 21.0–31.0 µg/dL). BLLs for 14 nonshooting family members were significantly (p<0.05) lower (mean: 3.5 µg/dL; range: 1.0–7.0 µg/dL) (Table). EPHP advised parents of the team members that their children should discontinue use of the firing range.
Range A, an indoor firing range, was used by the shooting team on school property in a multipurpose building that also housed a hockey rink. A utility fan located near the bullet backstop ventilated the range; no formal range maintenance protocol was observed. An environmental evaluation performed in May 2002 by an independent environmental and engineering consulting firm concluded that the range and its ventilation system were contaminated with lead dust. Three months after their initial testing, the four shooting-team members available for retesting all had lower BLLs; their levels declined from 29 to 16 µg/dL, 23 to 11 µg/dL, 22 to 16 µg/dL, and 21 to 14 µg/dL (retest mean: 14.3 µg/dL; range: 11–16 µg/dL) (Table). Range A was closed for 1 year, during which time the building was renovated, and a new ventilation system was installed.
This study indicates the problem is not so much in the shooting activities but rather in the ventilation system of the indoor range. I checked recently with the indoor range I normally shoot at, I was glad to find out that the range has a high quality negative pressure ventilation system. This evacuates the lead dust and other contaminants to reduce ingestion.
For those who are the belt and suspenders type, you may wish to wear a particle mask. Just make sure you use a mask that will be effective. Lead dust is not mitigated with a regular particle mask, a HEPA mask required to protect against lead dust.
Particle Mask HEPA
Respirator: If you are creating lead dust or fumes while working, you can breathe in the lead particles and get lead poisoning. A HEPA respirator prevents you from breathing in dust that may contain lead, but it will not stop fumes. This is not the same as the thin particle mask that many construction workers wear. The difference is that this has a HEPA filter that traps even the smallest lead particles and it should fit your face snugly with no gaps where air can get in around the mask. Some people cannot wear a respirator for medical reasons.
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