During the current COVID-19 crisis, we are constantly reminded to wear our mask and wash our hands. If you are a gun hobbyist, this should also be practiced when visiting the shooting range.
Exposure to lead dust and fumes at the firing range can present a potential health risk to shooters, firearm instructors, other range employees and their families. There are many ways you may be exposed to lead dust while shooting:
- Exploding primers containing lead styphnate & the friction from the lead slug against the gun barrel create airborne lead.
- Spent bullets and settled dust can contaminate both indoor & outdoor ranges.
- Slugs hitting the bullet trap, walls, floors or ceiling of the range create lead dust.
- The process of removing spent bullets or the face of earthen bullet trap backstops can generate large quantities of lead dust.
- Airborne lead dust can concentrate in outdoor ranges, depending on weather conditions.
- Lead dust can collect on clothes during the day. When those clothes are worn home, the lead can contaminate shooters’ cars and homes.
What you can do to protect yourself:
- Make sure the range is correctly ventilated.
- Consider wearing a tactical respirator. They have replaceable filters that trap lead particles before they reach your lungs and bloodstream.
- Keep the bullet loading area clean.
- At the range, wash hands & face before eating, drinking, or smoking.
- Wash hands & face before leaving the range
- Wash range clothes separately from the rest of the family’s clothes.
Simply washing with ordinary soap & water will not significantly reduce the spread of contamination or the danger of ingestion. So BE SAFE by using CLEAN-ALL HEAVY METALS HAND & BODY SOAP! The latest in soap technology, formulated to bond with lead residue so it simply rinses away. It is also an effective way to keep surfaces and laundry clean & safe.
