Despite
having been banned from household paints since 1978, lead exposure remains
a serious issue and lead bullets are a major contributor.
The
problem with lead bullets is that they can fragment upon firing and impact.
This results in lead dust that can contaminate the environment and meat, in the
case of hunting.
Let’s
take a closer look at the problem of lead bullets and how they contribute to
lead exposure and poisoning.
4 Dangers of Lead Bullets
This isn’t really a commentary
about the rightness or wrongness of firearms — that’s an entirely different
subject.
What
I do want to talk about though are the health effects of lead bullets and, more
specifically, the lead dust they leave behind.
Recent
studies have identified many health dangers of lead ammunition — for those who
use it and those in close proximity.
1. Gun Range Air is Loaded With Lead Dust
Indoor gun ranges are a prime
spot for lead dust to linger and in these places, inhalation of lead dust is a
serious problem.
A recently published study
linked target shooting at gun ranges to 2,673 cases of elevated blood lead
levels. Another study found that recreational shooting accounted for the
most common, non-occupational lead exposure.
You’d think that it would be
standard for all ranges to have the most cutting edge air purification devices
available but investigative reports revealed that not all gun ranges put
adequate ventilation 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.
2. Lead Dust Can Follow You Home
Don’t
think that you become free from lead dust when you exit the shooting range.
Lead dust settles on clothing, skin, or other items and comes home with you to
harm your family.
In one instance, construction
workers who were renovating a gun range were found to have elevated lead dust
in their homes.
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.
A similar study found that
ammunition was one of the major sources of lead exposure for Inuit
families.
Factors affecting the degree of
exposure included whether lead dust was brought into the house and how well the
firearms were maintained and cleaned.
3. Outdoor Ranges Can Taint Water Supplies
The obvious solution to the
accumulation of lead dust in an enclosed space is to just shoot outside, right?
Well, not quite. Outdoor ranges
are also prone to accumulating spent lead and lead dust. One example is the
Chattanooga-Hamilton police firing range.
After years of use, the ground
surface contains far more than the 400 mg/kg lead limit for soil. The good news
is the lead hasn’t seeped into the groundwater supply… not yet, anyway.
And, the surface water may
carry the lead on the ground’s surface into the Tennessee River.
4. Lead Bullets Kill More than Wildlife
Recent
studies find animals such as Bald Eagles are dying from lead poisoning and have
higher lead levels during hunting season than any other time of year.
Apparently, they are
encountering lead through the remnants of bullets left behind in unclaimed
animal remains. 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?
The danger of lead has inspired
some ammunition companies to look for safer alternatives and have begun
producing copper bullets. They hold together better and they don’t leave behind
a toxic residue.
The
downside is that copper bullets are more expensive, and they require greater
accuracy as they will pass through a target without shattering. But it is a
more safe and environmentally-friendly option.
Are
you a hunter or gun enthusiast? How do you protect yourself from lead
exposure when shooting?
RELATED
POSTS:
Actions You Can Take To Reduce
Lead In Drinking Water
Lead poisoning is nothing to joke about
http://puricare.blogspot.com/2016/06/insomnia-lead-poisoning-and-water-lead.html
by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM
by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/lead-bullets-toxic-4-dangers-lead-dust/
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