What are the most significant issues to be aware of regarding gun smoke?
And while we are at it lead dust and residue?
My club has made a few changes that had me guessing, and I just don't think I know anything at all about this part of the equation of target shooting.
Thanks for all the help and pointers.
Smoke and breathing question.
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The air flow in a range should draw the smoke & fumes away from the shooter (typically forward). It contains lead vapor from the bullets, and lead compounds from the priming mixture, in addition to carbon & other junk.
It's not going to kill you right off, but if you shoot a lot, it could lead to long term health issues. There are published standards for air flow & air quality for ranges in the USA.
A bigger issue is what folks do in a dirty range. The biggest source of lead toxicity is through ingestion. Eating, and drinking in the range is a definite no-no. Washing your hands carefully after shooting & especially before eating is recommended. If the range is very smoky, some lead will get deposited on your mucous membranes when you breathe, and can work its way into you stomach.
If you think it's an issue and you can't fix the range, an N95 rated face mask will take care of most of it. It will certainly get rid of the smoke, and should take out the bulk of the lead fumes as well, which are minute particles of condensed lead vapor. An N100 or P100 mask for welding will definitely take out lead fumes, and is required by OSHA if you are welding stuff with lead or cadmium. N95 masks are available in the light disposable variety, but an N100/P100 mask requires a rubber face mask & replaceable cartridges. If the range is bad enough that you need to go that route, I'd either get the range fixed or find another place to shoot.
It's not going to kill you right off, but if you shoot a lot, it could lead to long term health issues. There are published standards for air flow & air quality for ranges in the USA.
A bigger issue is what folks do in a dirty range. The biggest source of lead toxicity is through ingestion. Eating, and drinking in the range is a definite no-no. Washing your hands carefully after shooting & especially before eating is recommended. If the range is very smoky, some lead will get deposited on your mucous membranes when you breathe, and can work its way into you stomach.
If you think it's an issue and you can't fix the range, an N95 rated face mask will take care of most of it. It will certainly get rid of the smoke, and should take out the bulk of the lead fumes as well, which are minute particles of condensed lead vapor. An N100 or P100 mask for welding will definitely take out lead fumes, and is required by OSHA if you are welding stuff with lead or cadmium. N95 masks are available in the light disposable variety, but an N100/P100 mask requires a rubber face mask & replaceable cartridges. If the range is bad enough that you need to go that route, I'd either get the range fixed or find another place to shoot.
The primers (not non-toxic primers, however) produce lead oxide which is a gas that can't be filtered out by a typical filter mask. A year ago I had my blood tested and it was 56 mcg/dL. This is very high -- normal is less than 10 mcg/dL. A high master that I shoot with had his blood tested a few years back and it was 80 mcg/dL. This level of toxicity leads to nerve damage over a period of time.
The indoor range that I now shoot at during the winter months recently had its ventilation system re-done, which is the reason that I now shoot there.
Lead poisoning is a serious matter. If you are concerned, then you might want to get your blood tested.
Regards,
Al B.
The indoor range that I now shoot at during the winter months recently had its ventilation system re-done, which is the reason that I now shoot there.
Lead poisoning is a serious matter. If you are concerned, then you might want to get your blood tested.
Regards,
Al B.
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Guest
These are N100:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... 2297LTN6bl
These are P100:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... RXNR9HB8bl
No rubber face mask, no cartridges, entirely disposable and extremely easy to use. Everybody should consider using this -- no matter what the advertised efficiency of your range's HVAC system.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... 2297LTN6bl
These are P100:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... RXNR9HB8bl
No rubber face mask, no cartridges, entirely disposable and extremely easy to use. Everybody should consider using this -- no matter what the advertised efficiency of your range's HVAC system.
My club is redoing the ventilation, and has not allowed any more shooting than what was already normally scheduled indoors, that gives me 6-8 rounds of 10 shots per week.
I decided to do a bit more and since shooting 25/ 50 yards outdoors in subzero temperatures doesn't elevate my passion for the sport, I joined a private range, but it is not well ventilated either IMHO.
So I was curious to know if I could test the air quality of both places well before I test my blood, in some economic way.
I decided to do a bit more and since shooting 25/ 50 yards outdoors in subzero temperatures doesn't elevate my passion for the sport, I joined a private range, but it is not well ventilated either IMHO.
So I was curious to know if I could test the air quality of both places well before I test my blood, in some economic way.
Hmm. Those must be new. I checked a different web site, and they didn't have any N/P100 disposables. I even looked specifically for 3M, because I know they make good stuff.Anonymous wrote:No rubber face mask, no cartridges, entirely disposable and extremely easy to use. Everybody should consider using this -- no matter what the advertised efficiency of your range's HVAC system.
Folks tend to over-react a bit the lead problem IMHO. When I was a student on the college team, we cleaned the baffle system out with our bare hands, with no masks. I shot 100 rounds a day, 5 days a week in the range for 6 months prior to the cleanup, along side ~ 10 other team members, plus a lot of matches. Later on, they thought the cleaning party might be a bit risky & they had us tested for lead. I had washed up carefully when we were done, and my levels were normal. The range did have a decent ventilation system.