Guns can cause harm to anyone, whether intentionally or accidentally. Shooting ranges are considered one of the safest spaces to fire a gun because of safety precautions. Anything can still go wrong. That is why every shooting range owner knows that equipping their customers and employees with the right safety gear is a priority.
Many gun range owners fail to adequately address one of the most dangerous hazards in a shooting range: lead exposure. Worse, they may not even be aware that anyone who shoots a gun and those in the vicinity is at risk for such exposure.
You make sure that you and your employees clean the shooting range every business hour. You might not be practicing proper lead removal practices. It is why it might not be the place for someone pregnant.
Content
- Why You Should Remove Lead in Your Shooting Range
- Indoor Range Lead Removal
- Outdoor Range Lead Removal
- Are you a parent who regularly takes your children to shooting ranges and teach them the craft?
- Other sources of exposure
Why You Should Remove Lead in Your Shooting Range
Removing lead in your shooting range is not just about cleanliness but mostly for health reasons. It is released into the air whenever someone fires a gun. The more people fire their guns, the quicker it accumulates in a shooting range.
When it gets airborne, anyone is at risk of inhaling or ingesting it. Once airborne, they will not disappear by themselves.
Instead, they will remain airborne for some time before eventually settling down on any surface. Once they are disturbed, they will easily go back to being airborne once again.
These lead particles are invisible to the naked eye, even when airborne. It is impossible to avoid them if you are not wearing the right protective gear, especially respirators or masks. There is no safe level of exposure, and too much of it can soon become a matter of life and death for anyone. Yes, exposure can have fatal consequences.
If lead is not removed in a shooting range, it will simply keep accumulating. It’s potentially dangerous when lead-based bullets and primers are used in shooting guns. Left unchecked, anyone who enters your shooting range can quickly get exposed when they enter the area.
There is no definite timeline when exposed people will start experiencing various health issues. Lead poisoning occurs if you are exposed to it in large amounts in a short period. Not properly removing it in a shooting range allows particles to settle and accumulate, greatly increasing the risk of poisoning.
Indoors
Lead tends to accumulate more in an indoor range. That is why its removal should be more meticulous. The enclosed space traps particles inside, especially if there is little to no ventilation. That is why you must not only ensure proper removal, but you must also prevent them from accumulating.
There are several ways to minimize exposure in an indoor shooting range, and the following are the most important:
- Go lead-free. While many bullets and primers still contain lead, there are also lead-free options available nowadays.
- Ensure proper ventilation in the space, ideally with a separate ventilation system for the range. Proper air circulation allows particles to immediately move away from the shooter’s face after firing. They’ll go towards the vents intended for the range itself, which should have a HEPA filter to screen.
- Use HEPA filters and regularly replace them. This not only applies to those installed in your ventilation system but also your vacuum cleaners. When replacing, make sure that the old filters are disposed of properly by putting them inside a sealed container before disposal.
- Promote proper hygiene for both customers and employees. This includes washing their hands with soap and cold showering and changing their clothes after shooting or finishing their shifts. Properly pack their shooting or work clothes to prevent cross-contamination
Even if you follow all these, it will still settle anywhere in any indoor space. That is why proper and periodic lead removal is a must. Proper removal involves using water or a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters.
You may think that you are cleaning your range via dry sweeping, but you disturb any lead present and make them rise back up in the air.
Wet mopping is crucial because water will prevent dangerous particles from becoming airborne. Make sure to use fresh, clean water with every pass, as reusing it will only contaminate the water.
Using a vacuum cleaner is also possible, and it can remove lead easier and with minimal effort on your part. You must use one equipped with a HEPA filter capable of trapping particles.
Without it, these particles will easily escape your vacuum cleaner and go back to being airborne. Also, make sure to get an explosion-proof unit to prevent igniting any gunpowder present.
You may even consider using an XRF gun to check the levels at the range when you have cleaned.
Outdoors
Air circulates better in an outdoor range. There is less chance for lead to settle and accumulate in the range, which minimizes the risk of poisoning. However, the risk is still present, albeit low. That is why you must still practice lead removal in an outdoor range.
Unfortunately, the dust tends to settle in the soil outdoors, making its removal much more complicated. You can remove lead present in the soil through the following methods:
- Sifting and hand raking – It is similar to sifting and raking leaves in your yard, but you use the rake to sift through the topsoil or surface layer. Collect it and screen the soil. Particles will easily pass through the screener, making it easy for you to dispose of the contaminated soil.
- Soil washing – The soil’s particles are separated into clay, sand, silt, and gravel. Lead adheres to clay, making its removal possible by splitting them physically or using gravity when washing the soil.
- Installing a vacuuming system – These systems can immediately collect any lead that is released after shooting a gun.
- Vacuuming – You can also use certain outdoor vacuums to remove lead. They must also be equipped with a HEPA filter. Another method is by spreading the dry topsoil over an impermeable surface and running the vacuum over it. Those that are not collected by the vacuum are likely to contain lead.
- Professional removal – These professional reclaimers can remove as much as 75 to 95 percent of the particles present in the soil.
Even if there is better air circulation outdoors, you still must not use the dry sweeping or wiping method to remove dust in an outdoor range. This will disturb them, causing them to become airborne.
But more importantly, anyone involved in the removal process must always wear personal protective equipment. A respirator or mask is the most important. Ensure that it has a P100 or N100 rating because these are the only ones that can effectively filter lead.
