Are Lead Bullets Toxic? 4 Dangers of Lead Dust

Posted: 28 Dec 2014 07:00 AM PST

Lead has been banned from household paints since 1978 simply for the fact that's it's toxic and extremely dangerous when inhaled. Regular exposure on a consistent basis will destroy your health. Lead gets stored in the bones and can cross the blood brain barrier where it directly impairs the brain. It slows learning and causes developmental delays in children. Adults suffer nerve and organ damage when they are exposed to lead on a regular basis.

4 Dangers of Lead Dust

As recreational shooting has skyrocketed, so too has the concern over the lead dust left behind. This isn't about whether you like firearms or not. It's about protecting your health and the health of those around you. Recent studies have identified 4 routes of exposure that endanger the health of those who use firearms and those regularly around the items.

1. Gun Ranges May Hide a Dirty Secret

Indoor gun ranges prevent lead dust from dispersing. That may be good for the environment, but it's not good for your lungs. Inhalation is recognized as one of the ways lead dust enters the body. A recently published study found target shooting at gun ranges accounted for 2,673 cases of elevated blood lead levels across the ten year study period. ^[1] This was a limited study and doesn't reflect the rate of exposure for the entire population.

Another study reported recreational shooting accounted for the most common, non-occupational lead exposure. ^[2] Investigative reports revealed that not all gun ranges put adequate systems in place to protect their employees or customers. If you walk into a range and there's a haze in the air, it's probably not a safe environment. Whenever you head to the range, make sure to protect your health when you go.

2. Lead Dust Can Follow You Home and Assault your Family

Just because you don't see heavy dust stains, doesn't mean you're safe. Lead dust can settle on clothing, skin, or other items and then into your home. Once in the home, it mixes with dust and becomes a route of exposure for the family.

One article reported the effects of lead exposure on construction workers after working on renovations at a gun range. Once symptoms of nerve and neurological damage became apparent in one of the workers, doctors tested his entire family. The workers' children showed excessive blood lead levels. ^[3]

A similar study found ammunition was one of the major sources of lead exposure for Inuit families. ^[4] A couple of factors determined the degree of exposure. These included whether lead dust was brought into the house and how well the firearms were maintained and cleaned. ^[5]

3. Outdoor Ranges Leave Lead for Surface Water to Carry into Major Waterways

Outdoor ranges can accumulate a large amount of spent lead and lead dust. One example has been observed at the Chattanooga-Hamilton police firing range. Through years of use, the ground surface contains more than the 400 mg/kg lead limit for soil. The good news is the lead hasn't seeped into the groundwater supply. The concern, however, is surface water which carries the lead on the ground's surface into the Tennessee River. ^[6] This potentially exposes residents from Chattanooga to Paducah, Kentucky.

4. Lead Bullets Kill More than Wildlife

Recent studies find animals such as Bald Eagles are dying from lead poisoning. Eagles tested showed high lead levels during hunting season than any other time during the year. Apparently, they are encountering lead through the remnants of bullets left behind in animal remains from the hunt. [7] This leftover lead can also be a problem for people in the form of contaminated meat brought back from the hunt.

Are Copper Bullets the Answer?

Lead's danger has inspired some ammunition companies to look for safer alternatives. The problem with lead bullets is they fragment when faced with resistance. They kill by causing a lot of damage, resulting in trauma for the target. This leaves a lot of dangerous residue and can contaminate the local environment as well as the meat, in the case of hunting.

Some ammunition companies have begun producing copper bullets. These hold together better and penetrate more deeply, and they don't leave behind a toxic residue. The downside is copper bullets are more expensive, and they require greater accuracy as they will pass through a target without shattering. But it is a safe and environmentally-friendly option. The bottom line is if you're a hunter or a gun enthusiast who regularly uses lead, protect you and your family from unnecessary exposure to the toxic lead dust from lead bullets.

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

References:

Beaucham C, Page E, Alarcon WA, Calvert GM, Methner M, Schoonover ™, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Indoor firing ranges and elevated blood lead levels – United States, 2002-2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014 Apr 25;63(16):347-51.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adult blood lead epidemiology and surveillance–United States, 2008-2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011 Jul 1;60(25):841-5.
Christine Willmsen and Lewis Kame. Bellevue shooting range poisoned dozens. The Seattle Times.
Fillion M1, Blais JM1, Yumvihoze E1, Nakajima M2, Workman P2, Osborne G2, Chan HM3. Identification of environmental sources of lead exposure in Nunavut (Canada) using stable isotope analyses. Environ Int. 2014 Oct;71:63-73. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.06.004.
Thomas Rohner. House dust, ammunition lead to high lead levels in Inuit,: study. Nunatsiaq.
Louie Brogdon. Report: Lead from police firing range on Moccasin Bend may be leaching into the Tennesse River. Times Free Press.
Bedrosian B1, Craighead D, Crandall R. Lead exposure in bald eagles from big game hunting, the continental implications and successful mitigation efforts. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e51978. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051978.

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