You can request blood lead labs done through your doctor. People who work in industry and competition shooters and such will get that done to track.
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I’ve more recently have gotten into competition shooting and it is definitely something to be aware of because it can easily slip into concerning exposure levels. A Reddit group I’m in just had a guy find out he was over exposed. Here’s the post:
Congratulations on getting into competition! I started competing and intentionally practicing to get better about 4 years ago after a long time of being a safe but casual shooter. In the last year I have won some major Glock-sponsored GSSF matches - 1st place Amateur out of 140 at their national championship Talladega, AL. One more win and they are going to bump me to master class. I do not reload my own ammo so I have less lead exposure there. I am very careful with my range routine though. I have dedicated cross trainer shoes as my range shoes that I put in a plastic bag in the trunk of the car on the way home. I wash my hands with the dlead soap right away (have wipes in my bag for outdoor use). Finally, I put my clothes directly in the wash when I get home to reduce tracking anything inside particularly since I have small children at home.
That's awesome and congrats on the success so far! Smart move on the lead precautions. I need to get some of the wipes for my bag!
Competition shooters? They're not likely to touch lead, unless they fatally disobey shooting range safety rules.
Now the people manufacturing the bullets for those competition shooters... they need lead tests.
It’s not obvious, but practice enough at indoor ranges or reload your own competition ammo long enough. I have heard firsthand accounts from shooters who at some point weren’t feeling well, got tested, and found out they needed to be a lot more careful with their lead exposure.
Interesting. I'm obviously not from a shooting culture :)
Don't be hard on yourself. None of us are born with this knowledge :-)
If you ever shoot, just remember it is a really good idea to wash your hands afterwards (using the dlead soap if possible). It is not a bad idea to have a change of clothes and to wash your clothes right away as well.
A small amount of lead makes its way out of the chamber in the form of dust and fumes after shooting. It’s quite easy to breath this in or get it on your hands and accidentally ingest it. Not enough to matter for someone who occasionally goes to the range, but significant for those shooting nearly daily, especially if shooting indoors.
the obvious solution is to switch to depleted uranium ammo
A lot of primers have lead, and the dust ends up in the air.
The primers in the ammunition contain a lead compound
Doesn't some of the lead end up in the air?