Take Aim at Protecting Yourself
Solutions for Preventing Lead Poisoning and Hearing Loss at Indoor Firing Ranges
If you work or train regularly at indoor firing ranges, you could be exposed to hazardous levels of lead and noise. An estimated 16,000–18,000 indoor firing ranges operate in the United States. Some do not have sufficient environmental and occupational health controls in place to effectively protect the health of shooters and firing range personnel from exposure to lead (from lead bullets and cartridge primers), noise, and other contaminants. Those at risk include thousands of employees at indoor firing ranges, more than a million Federal, State, and local law officers who are required to train regularly at these facilities, and 20 million active target shooters.
NIOSH recently issued a new Alert, Preventing Occupational Exposures to Lead and Noise at Indoor Firing Ranges. The Alert presents five case reports that document lead and noise exposures and examines firing range operations, exposure assessment and control methods, existing regulations, and exposure standards and guidelines.
Lead exposure
Numerous factors and routes of exposure can contribute to workers' and patrons' exposures to lead at indoor firing ranges. Environmental factors include the type of ventilation system used at the firing range, the types of ammunition used, and the length of time that shooting occurs. Exposure risk factors include the type and frequency of work practices conducted at the range, particularly those involving cleaning the firing range and other maintenance activities. At indoor firing ranges, lead dust from firearms discharge can be inhaled or contaminate surfaces and then transferred to people's skin, especially the hands. Lead from the hands can be ingested while handling food, beverages, and other items that contact the mouth. Elevated blood lead levels can lead to lead poisoning. Symptoms of lead poisoning include the following:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Poor appetite
- Weight loss
- Anemia
- Excessive lethargy or hyperactivity
- Headaches
- Abdominal pain
- Kidney problems
In addition, lead poisoning, neurological effects, and mental retardation have occurred in children of workers who bring lead home on their clothes, skin, or other surfaces.
In one case study of law enforcement trainees described in the Alert, blood lead levels at an indoor firing range rose from a pre-training mean of 6.5 µg/dL to 50.4 µg/dL post training. Mean airborne lead concentrations were more than 40 times the OSHA permissible exposure limit. After changes were made to the ventilation system, airborne lead concentrations dropped to below detectable levels. In addition, using ammunition that had nylon-coated and copper-jacketed bullets substantially reduced (94% to 97%) airborne lead concentrations.
Detailed recommendations for employers and workers are available in the Alert. Controlling exposures to occupational hazards is the fundamental method of protecting workers. Traditionally, NIOSH uses a hierarchy of controls to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards:
- Elimination of the hazard
- Substitution of a less hazardous material
- Engineering controls
- Administrative controls (to reduce time of exposure)
- Personal protective equipment
Proper ventilation, good housekeeping practices, and basic personal hygiene practices will limit or eliminate the risk of lead exposure. Examples of NIOSH recommendations for workers include the following:
- Wear respirators and full protective outer clothing when performing range maintenance.
- Wear gloves and eye protection when using chemicals to clean weapons or firing range surfaces.
- Wash hands, forearms, and face before eating, drinking, smoking, or contact with other people.
- Change clothes and shoes before leaving the firing range facilities.
- Wash clothes or uniforms used at the firing range separately from family's clothing.
Noise exposure
The discharge of firearms in an indoor firing range produces peak noise levels that exceed the occupational health limits of 140 dB SPL. NIOSH recommends that workers and shooters who use a firing range as part of their occupation (i.e, law enforcement officers) wear double hearing protection (earplugs and earmuffs) as part of an overall hearing conservation program. Special attention must be paid to the use of safety glasses under earmuffs so not to create an acoustical leak and degrade the performance of the hearing protectors.
Exposure to high levels of noise can lead to the following:
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear, which might be permanent)
- Stress
- Anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Gastro-intestinal problems
- Chronic fatigue
NIOSH would like to hear from you regarding your experiences working or training at indoor firing ranges. What prevention methods do you or your employer take? What has worked? What has not worked? Would you be interested in receiving more information or review other products from NIOSH on indoor firing ranges? More information is available in the NIOSH Alert and on the NIOSH Indoor Firing Ranges topic page.
—Chucri A. Kardous, M.S., P.E.
Mr. Kardous is a research engineer in the NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology.
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Yes, I would like you to send me more information on the above topic.
I recently retired from the State of Connecticut Dept. of Correction in 2006. While empolyed as a Correctional Officer, one of my details was working as a Firearms Instructor. I was employed for over 18 years, and have used both indoor and outdoor ranges. I also was assigned as Firearms Instructor for our CERT Team (Correction Emegency Response Team), which I was also a member for over 18 years.
I now work part time for two different law enforcement agencies. In both agencies, I also working as a firearms instructor, and use both indoor and outdoor ranges. It has been my experience that both indoor and outdoor ranges have their own individual hazard to health.
Posted 5/21/09 at 11:04 am
I am currently the Firearms Coordinator for Nevada and utilize an outdoor range. We have 20 traps and the projectiles are trapped via a 3 gallon bucket. There are 20 buckets for the 20 traps and periodically have to change them.
We also use a leaf blower to blow off debris that forms on the steel portion of the traps as well as the concrete in front of the traps.
I would be interested in any suggestions as to how we can safely remove the buckets from the traps and properly dispose of the projectiles. Also, any comments as to our current use of the leaf blower and debris removal from the range.
Additionally, at the end of the range we drag the dirt with a make shift rake behind a truck. The rack is an 8ft section of chain link fence. This kicks up considerable amounts of dust.
Posted 6/2/09 at 7:00 pm
We have several recommendations in the Alert document for dealing with lead removal and cleaning that may apply to your situation. It's hard to make recommendations without assessing the range and surrounding areas, but I would strongly suggest you discontinue using the leaf blower and raking the dirt for the obvious reasons you mentioned (kicking off lead dust and contaminating the area, equipment, and personnel), unless you have a dedicated cleaning and maintenance staff equipped with the appropriate personal protection equipment and you have a proper safety program in place.
EPA has published the Best management practices for lead at outdoor shooting ranges, which should be helpful in providing you with guidance.
You may also want to consider contacting a health and safety consultant. Additionally, you may want to look into the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program. Information on the HHE Program is available on the NIOSH website.
Posted 6/4/09 at 9:35 am
How is this health information made available to ranges and personnel. Is there a comprehensive list of all ranges (pulic, private, law enforcement and government).
Posted 6/18/09 at 1:08 pm
We have worked with several stakeholders in the law enforcement, military, and recreational communities to distribute our research products, including the Alert mentioned above. At present, there's no one compiled and comprehensive list of all firing ranges in the United States. Some of our stakeholders include Federal, state, and some local law enforcement agencies who operate and maintain their own ranges. Each of these agencies and ranges can be reached separately. In addition, the National Association of Shooting Ranges and the National Rife Association Headquarters provide lists of their member ranges.
The Alert document includes a summary sheet that can be torn and posted at firing ranges. Other than distributing the documents and information directly to law enforcement agencies and range associations, we are trying to reach the rest of these ranges (and their operators) through direct mailings, our website, Wikipedia, and postings like you see on this blog.
Posted 6/22/09 at 8:17 am
How affective is the hearing protection for inpact noise. Is it evaluated on continuous noise basis?
Posted 7/9/09 at 1:31 pm
We recommend using double hearing protection for impact noise (see recommendations on page 19 of the Alert document). We have conducted several studies on the effectiveness of hearing protector devices against impact/impulse type of noise, and depending on the hearing protector and how it was used, peak reductions ranged from 10 to 50 dB. See our health hazard evaluation that examined the variety of hearing protectors.
Posted 7/10/09 at 12:19 pm
It seems to me that even with a 47 dB reduction from double hearing protection that with some weapons showing a dB above 165 that OSHA noise standards are very quickly exceeded. I do know that [company name removed] has treated numerous ranges for the CIA, Navy and the Air Force and is currently doing comprehensive evaluation of noise levels of several of these ranges using sophisticated sound measuring/recording equipment developed for the recording industry of both before and after treatment with their patented noise panels. I am told that they have effectively reduced reverb time from 6+ seconds to less that 1.25 seconds and that the reduction in noise level and reverb is dramatic. NIOSH may wish to contact them for more information.
Posted 8/21/09 at 3:12 pm
In the case of Wilson vs Riverside Shooting Inc.2007 Riverside, California
It appears that the County Hazmat Unit and Cal/Osha both failed equally to protect employees and customers from reoccuring violations of this indoor shooting range. The violations that were reoccuring range from using stolen EPA and county Hazmat Permit numbers and not following up to insure that proper permits were obtained and that ventalation systems were upgraded to modern day specs. In this case,the children of one of the employees was diagnosed with Lead Poisoning first through routine tests for school enrollment. The cause was from "take home" lead exposure that contamiated the employee's home and vehicles and the whole is now on Medical Surveillance by the state of California.
Bottom line,if it were not for children being involved,Cal/Osha would never have launched an investigation into this case at all. A message needs to be sent that this way of thinking doesm't fly when it comes to people's lives who work in these areas of employment. A system of checks and balances must be started today and should have been started 20 years ago or more.Why must children pay the heavy price of neglect by our local,county and state governments and of course, those employers who think they have found loopholes in our laws.
Posted 9/21/09 at 9:01 pm
Thanks for giving information about Shooting Ranges. You really have a good blog for sharing information with others.
Posted 10/01/09 at 2:14 am
While hearing is not a common health and safety concern in a computerized workplace, it should not be ignored. Some pieces of office equipment can be quite loud, especially to those situated near them. Also, those taking dictation or on the phone a good portion of the day could experience some strain in the ears. Keeping office equipment away from work areas, switching the phone from ear to ear periodically, and keeping dictation volume as low as possible should help ease the concerns. Thanks a lot blogger for such a nice post about hearing loss at work place.
:-)
Keep blogging
http://justblogme.com/workworkwork/278145/Be+Safe+from+Hearing+Loss+Problem+at+Workplaces.html
Posted 10/14/09 at 8:49 am