Abstract:
The potential for high lead level exposure at indoor firing ranges has been recognized since the 1940s. Yet there have been occupational studies on lead exposures to employees and firing aRMS instructors at indoor firing ranges. These studies have been completed in the 1970s and 1980s consistently documented blood lead levels above 60 ug/dl as well as excessively high air lead levels. In many of these studies, symptoms of lead toxicity were found to correlate with excess lead exposure from firing ranges. Additionally, in a study done in 1987 on new police cadets going through fireaRMS training, increases in the cadet's blood lead was deermined to be directly related to the cumulative exposure to lead from the fireaRMS training sessions. These findings suggest that many users in the general public may be exposed to excessive levels of lead that could potentially cause toxic injury of the kidney, reproductive, erythropoetic, and nervous systems.
The purpose of this study was to characterize air lead exposure and the potential lead toxicity in a group of people simulating a schedule of shooting comparable to a general or so-called average user. The hypothesis of this study is that subject's lead levels will increase and the change in blood lead levels will be positively correlated to their cumulative air lead exposures.
Taken from the beginning of thesis.