Lead particles in the shooting area

[Tennessee Snuffy]

 

I know that blood lead levels have been discussed on the Wire over the past several years.  We have all discussed and provided good suggestions concerning “things” that we do in our reloading operations from wet brass cleaning, coated bullets, washing hands, not eating or drinking while reloading or shooting, using various products to clean any lead residue from our hands, guns, reloading room, etc.

My question is where does the major lead contaminants come from – absorption thru our skin via the things listed above or thru airborne particles after rounds have been shot downrange?  Being a spotter, RO or just watching potentially puts those at risk of breathing in lead particles.  What steps to shooters take to mitigate these airborne particles?

Thanks for all opinions and suggestions

 

Edited June 13, 2025 by Tennessee Snuffy
wrong font

[Choctaw Jack]

I used to worry about absorbing lead during the bullet making process, but my (limited) research has since led me to believe that more damage is done at the firing line. As I understand it, the lead styphynate in primers is more damaging from inhaling it while shooting, or timing and spotting, than absorption through the skin.

Another of my concerns was not having enough ventilation at my melting pot.

The temperature at which lead vaporized is much higher than its melting point, so it would be harder to ingest ( by inhalation) at the temps we normally see.

What is a concern is the fumes generated by the contaminated found on the raw sources we use in casting bullets

I made the switch from dry tumbling to wet, and continue to use the normal precautions, and in the last few years my lead level has continued to fall.

Hope this helps.

Choctaw

Edited June 13, 2025 by Choctaw Jack
Left out a word

[Tennessee Snuffy]

Choctaw Jack

 

What precautions to you take at the firing line?

 

Tennessee Snuffy

[Assassin]

I've often wondered about the dust from the lead impacting sg targets. In a windy area, like Wyoming, one can feel the dust blowing back off the targets. 

[Choctaw Jack]

I usually don't TO more than a few shooters at a time, and try not to pick brass for too long.

My precautions while casting bullets are about the same as always. Good ventilation. Wear some sort of gloves, hand washing before eating or drinking.

Nothing extreme.

Choctaw

 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

Here is an OSHA Fact Sheet for indoor firing ranges.  Some of the information is relevant for our outdoor ranges.  For example, eating, drinking and smoking while shooting.

[Waimea]

I don't want to sound like a commercial but you must wash your hands with a product that removes the lead from your skin.

Regular soap doesn't.

The best product I found is called D-lead soap.

They also make wipes and laundry detergent.

 

After I started using D-Lead my lead count went from 24 to 11 in the matter of a few months.

 

When I first started CAS there was a cowboy named Cookie and he lived up to his name and brought cookies to every match. I LOVE COOKIES! He used to bring them around the second or third stage. My routine job in those days was to set steel. I did it with my hands. Do you know how leady sg targets get? Cookie would come around and, yes please, I would get mine!

I was eating lead.

 

Anyhow that's all old news.

Edited June 14, 2025 by Waimea

[Cypress Sun]

2 hours ago, Assassin said:

I've often wondered about the dust from the lead impacting sg targets. In a windy area, like Wyoming, one can feel the dust blowing back off the targets. 

 

Not only the lead dust, but the dust from the ground also. That ground has had an untold amount of lead imbedded in it. There has been some days that I blew my nose after the match that the snot came out black from the dirt and dust. That couldn't have been healthy. The people resetting SG targets, the shooter and the TO were affected the most by the dust.

[Eyesa Horg]

Imagine folks that shoot tens of thousands of rounds a year, they must weigh a ton with all the lead they inhale.

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I keep some D-Lead soap with me at ranges and use it after shooting.  I offer it to fellow shooters at hand washing stations and they usually accept the offer.  I keep some at a utility sink at home and use it after reloading ammo.  I also use it after working on vehicles or lawn care equipment.  It is great for removing grease and grime from hands.  A gallon of D-Lead is a little more than $40 but lasts a few years.

[Mister Badly]

I used to wear one of these suits when I worked with lead at Fisher Body

😋

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

In 2005, the EPA (with input and support from the NRA and NSSF) published a report titled Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges.

That report states:

 

On ranges, inhalation is one pathway for lead exposure since shooters are exposed to lead dust during the firing of their guns.  Because wind is unlikely to move heavy lead particles very far, airborne dust is generally considered a potential threat only when there are significant structures that block air flow on the firing line. Under such conditions, the hygiene and other practices proposed by the NRA for indoor shooting ranges in their “Source Book” are applicable to outdoor ranges. Range workers may also be exposed to lead dust while performing routine maintenance operations, such as raking or cleaning out bullet traps.  Owners/operators may want to protect these workers by requiring them to wear the proper protective equipment or dampening the soil prior to work. Another exposure route for lead at outdoor ranges is ingestion by direct contact with lead or lead particles.  For example, lead particles generated by the discharge of a firearm can collect on the hands of a shooter.  These particles can be ingested if a shooter eats or smokes prior to washing his/her hands after shooting.  The relative risk of lead exposure to people in a well managed facility is low.

 

In other words, most of the lead dust goes downrange, falls to the ground and doesn't come back to our noses, even though lighter components of smoke might.  And we should definitely wash hands before touching food that we're going to eat.  Whether all of our club ranges are "well managed" is a can o' worms I'm definitely not cracking open!

 

(Most of the report deals with protecting the environment and plants and animals from the effects of lead in the ground and in flowing surface water and groundwater.)

Edited June 13, 2025 by Nostrum Damus SASS #110702

[Assassin]

16 hours ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

In 2005, the EPA (with input and support from the NRA and NSSF) published a report titled Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges.

That report states:

 

On ranges, inhalation is one pathway for lead exposure since shooters are exposed to lead dust during the firing of their guns.  Because wind is unlikely to move heavy lead particles very far, airborne dust is generally considered a potential threat only when there are significant structures that block air flow on the firing line. Under such conditions, the hygiene and other practices proposed by the NRA for indoor shooting ranges in their “Source Book” are applicable to outdoor ranges. Range workers may also be exposed to lead dust while performing routine maintenance operations, such as raking or cleaning out bullet traps.  Owners/operators may want to protect these workers by requiring them to wear the proper protective equipment or dampening the soil prior to work. Another exposure route for lead at outdoor ranges is ingestion by direct contact with lead or lead particles.  For example, lead particles generated by the discharge of a firearm can collect on the hands of a shooter.  These particles can be ingested if a shooter eats or smokes prior to washing his/her hands after shooting.  The relative risk of lead exposure to people in a well managed facility is low.

 

In other words, most of the lead dust goes downrange, falls to the ground and doesn't come back to our noses, even though lighter components of smoke might.  And we should definitely wash hands before touching food that we're going to eat.  Whether all of our club ranges are "well managed" is a can o' worms I'm definitely not cracking open!

 

(Most of the report deals with protecting the environment and plants and animals from the effects of lead in the ground and in flowing surface water and groundwater.)

Yeah, but with "in your face" targets the dust is much closer.  The same guys are always up front timing, resetting targets, setting up matches. Betcha a Dr. Pepper their lead levels are higher than those that sit in the peanut gallery and do little.

[Griff]

So... stay home, in bed... and die of "nothing"... well, maybe boredom.  Or, take reasonable precautions, and don't stress out over what ain't very likely to be what kills ya!  And have a little fun outta life!

[Dapper Dave]

I have reloaded for 20 years. I've cast my own bullets, for 15 years, and at least 10 of those years was indoors with a fan blowing towards a partially opened garage door. I have waterless hand cleanser in the loading area, and I always wash my hands after handling cartridges, lead, or shooting before I eat, drink, or fire up my pipe. I do not use a respirator, or gloves EXCEPT when casting, where I wear leather gloves, (because burning myself sucks), and a full-face mask, also not a respirator. I have a range very close, free public range and for years I was shooting at least once a week - down to twice a week since I married a woman who I actually want to spend time with. 🥰

I must be dying! So, I did a lead stick last month. I was told 10 mcg/dl was industry safe, and then 4 mcg/dl was a different safety standard, so I must be loaded up to the top!

 

2.7

 

Hmm, whatever I am doing must be working, or maybe beer chases out lead. I like that second idea even better...

[Waimea]

1 hour ago, Dapper Dave said:

blah blah blah

free public range

blah blah blah

 

And you live where in AZ?

Feel free to PM me.

[Dapper Dave]

Casa Grande, amigo, Elzy Pearson Memorial Firing Range, take I-8 from the I-10 interchange, get off on the first exit, Trekell Road, turn left, (south), go for about 1.5 miles, turn Left onto Arica, turn right when the road curves, and about 1/2 mile later it will be on your left hand side, facing the mountains. The FIRST one if the police range, we no use. Old photo - it is now paved all the way to the gate. Open 7 AM to sundown 7 days a week. The city unlocks it every morning and locks it up at night. Only "service" is a porta potty, no water, no targets, no Range Safety Officer - I did mention it's completely unmonitored, didn't I?

 

[Assassin]

8 hours ago, Griff said:

So... stay home, in bed... and die of "nothing"... well, maybe boredom.  Or, take reasonable precautions, and don't stress out over what ain't very likely to be what kills ya!  And have a little fun outta life!

The topic of discussion is lead particles, not how long I stay in bed and do nothing. 

[Scarlett]

The only time I wore a mask/respirator type while I was actually casting on two machines was when I was tumbling my brass and separating it. The Lead styphnate …

I, like Waimea, was handling lead barehanded 5 days a week 10 tons + a year. I used lead remover soap and was very very careful about my hygiene. My lead was never over 8. It’s probably higher now because I’m shooting a LOT more and Timing/resetting targets. Getting it checked next month. 
 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

@Tennessee Snuffy, you can wear a bandana while TOing…and, don’t time too many…. Stand back from the shooter - where timer can still pick up. 

[I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321]

On 6/13/2025 at 7:01 AM, Eyesa Horg said:

Imagine folks that shoot tens of thousands of rounds a year, they must weigh a ton with all the lead they inhale.

Gee, and I thought it was my wife's cooking that made me gain weight.😂

[Sedalia Dave]

Handling spent brass / shotgun hulls and manually resetting targets are likely the biggest threat.

 

Good hygiene practices are key when handling spent brass / hulls.

Wet tumbled brass will all but eliminate contamination from handling brass during reloading.

 

Vibratory cleaning with dry media might make the brass shiny but it will not remove the lead contamination from the brass. Lead contaminated residual dust from this method of cleaning brass will contaminate everything in the surrounding area.

 

Shotgun hulls are the most overlooked avenue of lead contamination. With a few exceptions the hulls never get cleaned so they are a persistent source of lead contamination.

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

MY EMT/FF son hammered into me that I must wear nitrile gloves when doing any reloading tasks.  So I do.  A while ago I bought a case of 2,000 pairs of properly sized nitrile gloves.  The case had 20 boxes of 100 pairs each.  At first I didn't like wearing them.  But he got me into the habit of putting them on when doing stuff and taking them off and tossing them into the trash each and every time I want to do anything else, and then just putting on another pair to return to the bench.  I go through between 2 and as much as 4 or 5 pairs every time I go to the bench; there's always a box on the bench.  I barely notice putting them on and taking them off anymore.

[Stump Water]

Lots of mentions of washing hands.  Good.

 

However, use cold water.  Warm/hot water opens up your skin pores and since you're trying to rid your skin of a contaminant before you absorb it you don't want that.

[Tennessee Snuffy]

Thanks to all of those who has supplied information concerning lead blood level.  I believe the most common practices to decrease lead levels is to wear latex gloves during any reloading and brass handling (except at the loading table and shooting), wash hands with cold water,  don’t handle food, don’t rub your eyes or suck on your thumb after handling bullets. 

 

With all of this in mind, I purchased some lead swab kits from Amazon.  I have tested my reloading room and all the equipment in it, door handles, shooting cart, pants and shirt after shooting a match, truck seats and steering wheel --- no lead.

 

I swabbed some spent brass – LEAD.  So I purchased a wet tumbler and tumbled brass for a hour in hot water and a bit of dawn, drained and tumbled for a hour with only water, rinsed – small traces of lead on each cartridge.  Put them in my dry tumbler with kitty litter for 1 hour and still a slight amount of lead.

 

Any time I handle brass or bullets, I have latex gloves.  Any activity with dry tumbling mask, gloves and glasses.

 

Based upon this, I would conclude that with good handling practices as has been mentioned above, a very large part of my lead exposure is occurring at the firing line.  Not sure how to decrease that risk much other than stay out of building when others are shooting, stay upwind, and stay back from shooter when they are shooting (but then you look like a slacker).

 

Any other suggestions?

[watab kid]

i guess i grew up old school , playing with mercury , casting lead soldiers , washing parts in gas and changing out the ammonia tanks on the blue print machine , i put both chlorine pellets and powder as well as PH blocks in the pool nightly all summer when i was cleaning the filter system , never wore gloves never wore a mask , granted all that ended during my young years till a bit into my college years but a lot of things i do compare somewhat like the shooting , reloading and some chore related activities , 

 

im not saying do as ive done , but i think in my case all of that presented minimal risk , my current activities as well , i never shoot in closed indoor areas , im not a big reloaded - i make what i need and reload what i shot mostly - not a lot , i do think folks that are exposed daily are at risk even outdoors , my good friend that works a range situation with high round counts every week has tested high and spent time in light duty till it returned to normal - it is a real thing , but im not overly concerned personally because im not in those situations , everyone needs to weigh their own situation , 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

41 minutes ago, Tennessee Snuffy said:

Thanks to all of those who has supplied information concerning lead blood level.  I believe the most common practices to decrease lead levels is to wear latex gloves during any reloading and brass handling (except at the loading table and shooting), wash hands with cold water,  don’t handle food, don’t rub your eyes or suck on your thumb after handling bullets. 

 

With all of this in mind, I purchased some lead swab kits from Amazon.  I have tested my reloading room and all the equipment in it, door handles, shooting cart, pants and shirt after shooting a match, truck seats and steering wheel --- no lead.

 

I swabbed some spent brass – LEAD.  So I purchased a wet tumbler and tumbled brass for a hour in hot water and a bit of dawn, drained and tumbled for a hour with only water, rinsed – small traces of lead on each cartridge.  Put them in my dry tumbler with kitty litter for 1 hour and still a slight amount of lead.

 

Any time I handle brass or bullets, I have latex gloves.  Any activity with dry tumbling mask, gloves and glasses.

 

Based upon this, I would conclude that with good handling practices as has been mentioned above, a very large part of my lead exposure is occurring at the firing line.  Not sure how to decrease that risk much other than stay out of building when others are shooting, stay upwind, and stay back from shooter when they are shooting (but then you look like a slacker).

 

Any other suggestions?

Load and shoot coated bullets.  You will not be touching bare lead when loading or handling ammo.  The bare lead base of bullets will not be exposed to hot gasses.  An added benefit is that your loading dies will remain much cleaner.  

[Dapper Dave]

I do powder coat my cast bullets. I do handle the bare lead bullets when sorting/culling/dropping into the powder coat shaker, but I will use the waterless hand cleanser immediately afterwards. I agree - powder coated bullets are the safest. And you can have fun with the stuff if you try...

[watab kid]

im at the point in life when i can say i realize there is some lead in the air where im shooting - particularly at SASS matches where we all shoot lead cast , but life is a secularly transmitted disease that is terminal , we are all going to die eventually , im not seeing what we are doing as either adding nor deducting much from where we are going these days 

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

If you do choose to wear gloves, choose nitrile gloves over latex gloves.  In the good old days, when the only gloves were latex gloves, the way they were made easy to get on was a form of powdered talc which, as it turns out, causes cancer.  So, modern latex gloves are "powder-free" which is a good thing, but they are a PITA to put on IMHO.  Nitrile gloves are much easier, not to mention stronger and better chemical barriers for a given glove thickness.