Shooters and workers risk lead poisoning
Gun ranges endanger health
By Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News
What's At Issue:
The nation's 4,000 ranges came under fire last year in a report by the Washington, D.C-based Violence Policy Center for claims that gun ranges poison thousands of children and adults annually from lead in gun residue.
Since 1997, Michigan has investigated 10 gun ranges, clubs and shops because of lead concerns.
A hundred state residents tested positive for high levels of lead at gun ranges, and officials believe numbers will increase because of lack of awareness.
Some range owners are investing in ventilation equipment and urging the gun industry to substitute iron and copper for lead in some bullets.
INKSTER -- Mike Hoban lives with unrelenting pain. He has stomach cramps. His hands shake without warning, and he endures piercing headaches.
Doctors say that Hoban, a safety instructor at an Inkster gun range for the past 16 years, has lead poisoning, with blood levels nearly 20 times the amount considered safe. Now, state health officials are investigating whether residue from thousands of rounds fired each week at Alexander's Indoor Gun Range caused Hoban's illness.
"I dedicate my life to safety and the gun range probably will end my life sooner," said Hoban, 40, of Metamora, a former Air Force combat trainer who now teaches at an outdoor range in Oakland County.
Owners of Alexander's deny wrongdoing and describe Hoban as a disgruntled employee who quit over money. But the case comes amid growing national concern that the tight spaces that make gun ranges so attractive to sportsmen could slowly be sickening them. The worries come at a time when more and more people are arming themselves.
Michigan has launched investigations into 10 gun ranges, clubs and shops for lead since 1997, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The investigations, prompted by individual cases of high lead levels routinely reported to state health officials, found that people were exposed to excessively high levels at the sites, from poor ventilation and other factors.
This year, the agency has investigated at least 10 such sites nationally because of lead concerns.
While only 100 people out of 825 Michigan residents who tested positive for lead poisoning last year were exposed to the substance at gun ranges, state health regulators say the number is likely much higher since many firearms owners are unaware of the dangers.
Gun ranges without employees are not subject to inspections, according to the Michigan Department of Community and Industry Services.
Regulators are concerned that lead poisoning cases will increase along with the surge in the number of people carrying concealed weapons. The state Legislature last year agreed to make permits easier to get.
More than 50,000 residents in the state received permits since the rules were changed and more than 8,000 others are waiting for their applications to be approved. Many new gun owners are flocking to local gun ranges for safety courses or target practice.
Dust is everywhere
Lead bullets are a hazard because they emit a dust when fired and when the bullet hits a metal bullet trap or wall in a range. That lead dust is inhaled, gets into the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body. It then accumulates in soft tissue and bones.
The dust gathers on clothing and the body. Health experts warn shooters should not eat, drink, smoke or touch family members without first cleaning up.
"The people at higher risk are instructors and those who clean the range; people who are there on a daily basis," said Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, a Michigan State University medical professor who works with the State Community and Industry Service Department to investigate cases of residents with high lead exposure levels.
The nation's 4,000 ranges came under fire last year in a report by the Washington, D.C-based Violence Policy Center that claimed ranges poison thousands of children and adults each year and escape serious regulation.
The concerns have caused some range owners to invest in ventilation equipment and the gun industry to substitute iron and copper for lead in some bullets, but advocates claim the hidden danger is spreading.
"This is a public health problem, not a gun control issue," said Tom Diaz, who compiled a 2001 report on lead and gun ranges for the Violence Policy Center, which advocates banning guns. "The problem is you can take (lead) home to your kids. Nobody deserves to get this."
While acknowledging that gun owners must take precautions when it comes to lead, critics say the Violence Policy Center report is a thinly veiled attempt to get rid of guns by getting rid of firing ranges.
Many states, including Michigan, require gun safety classes before issuing a permit for a firearm. The Violence Policy Center report would effectively limit gun ownership, said Dave LeCourse, spokesman for the Second Amendment Foundation, which has offices in Washington and New York.
"People need a safe place to shoot," LeCourse said. "They (the Violence Policy Center) want ranges closed down. If you close down the ranges, you can't get training. Then you cannot own a gun in many states. It's about hatred of guns."
Ranges are suspect
Ranges from California to Alaska and Nevada have come under scrutiny.
In July, Impact Indoor Range in Sparks, Nev., was cited by state environmental officials for disposing of lead filters improperly. The officials warned the range that it could have contaminated adjacent buildings with unsafe lead levels.
Michigan requires blood tests for lead every six months for those working at ranges. Hoban said he was not tested while working at Alexander's.
Macomb County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Stone, supervisor of the department's firearms practice sessions, knows about those tests. In 1984, his doctor ordered him to temporarily stay away from practice sessions because of high lead levels in his blood. Stone said the various private ranges the department used were not always well-ventilated.
Now the Macomb County Sheriff's Department has its own range, with an impressive ventilation system that filters out lead dust clouds as soon as they are produced.
In addition, the range -- in the basement of the department's old jail in Clinton Township -- has an air flow meter to ensure that the process is working correctly. Floors are painted monthly to ensure that lead does not have a chance to build up.
"Before we got the new range, I would work eight hours and could blow black stuff out of my nose," Stone said. "There only was an exhaust fan in the ceiling. It did not do much."
The growing lead concerns have prompted many bullet manufactures to produce lead-free bullets made of iron. Hoban has heard of the bullets, but they were not available until the past few years.
So he continues to undergo examinations and tries to rid himself of the lead. His doctors have prescribed medication to try and sift the lead out. Hoban took the medication previously, but the pills only lowered his lead level a few points.
"I do not deserve this," Hoban said. "I am in constant pain."
http://www.detnews.com/2002/health/0210/29/a01-625519.htm
I think this is the reason Red's, here in Austin, has had their range closed for remodeling the past several months ..... WITH NO ETA ON WHEN IT WILL REOPEN! I miss having a range 5 minutes away.....
Gun ranges endanger health
By Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News
What's At Issue:
The nation's 4,000 ranges came under fire last year in a report by the Washington, D.C-based Violence Policy Center for claims that gun ranges poison thousands of children and adults annually from lead in gun residue.
Since 1997, Michigan has investigated 10 gun ranges, clubs and shops because of lead concerns.
A hundred state residents tested positive for high levels of lead at gun ranges, and officials believe numbers will increase because of lack of awareness.
Some range owners are investing in ventilation equipment and urging the gun industry to substitute iron and copper for lead in some bullets.
INKSTER -- Mike Hoban lives with unrelenting pain. He has stomach cramps. His hands shake without warning, and he endures piercing headaches.
Doctors say that Hoban, a safety instructor at an Inkster gun range for the past 16 years, has lead poisoning, with blood levels nearly 20 times the amount considered safe. Now, state health officials are investigating whether residue from thousands of rounds fired each week at Alexander's Indoor Gun Range caused Hoban's illness.
"I dedicate my life to safety and the gun range probably will end my life sooner," said Hoban, 40, of Metamora, a former Air Force combat trainer who now teaches at an outdoor range in Oakland County.
Owners of Alexander's deny wrongdoing and describe Hoban as a disgruntled employee who quit over money. But the case comes amid growing national concern that the tight spaces that make gun ranges so attractive to sportsmen could slowly be sickening them. The worries come at a time when more and more people are arming themselves.
Michigan has launched investigations into 10 gun ranges, clubs and shops for lead since 1997, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The investigations, prompted by individual cases of high lead levels routinely reported to state health officials, found that people were exposed to excessively high levels at the sites, from poor ventilation and other factors.
This year, the agency has investigated at least 10 such sites nationally because of lead concerns.
While only 100 people out of 825 Michigan residents who tested positive for lead poisoning last year were exposed to the substance at gun ranges, state health regulators say the number is likely much higher since many firearms owners are unaware of the dangers.
Gun ranges without employees are not subject to inspections, according to the Michigan Department of Community and Industry Services.
Regulators are concerned that lead poisoning cases will increase along with the surge in the number of people carrying concealed weapons. The state Legislature last year agreed to make permits easier to get.
More than 50,000 residents in the state received permits since the rules were changed and more than 8,000 others are waiting for their applications to be approved. Many new gun owners are flocking to local gun ranges for safety courses or target practice.
Dust is everywhere
Lead bullets are a hazard because they emit a dust when fired and when the bullet hits a metal bullet trap or wall in a range. That lead dust is inhaled, gets into the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body. It then accumulates in soft tissue and bones.
The dust gathers on clothing and the body. Health experts warn shooters should not eat, drink, smoke or touch family members without first cleaning up.
"The people at higher risk are instructors and those who clean the range; people who are there on a daily basis," said Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, a Michigan State University medical professor who works with the State Community and Industry Service Department to investigate cases of residents with high lead exposure levels.
The nation's 4,000 ranges came under fire last year in a report by the Washington, D.C-based Violence Policy Center that claimed ranges poison thousands of children and adults each year and escape serious regulation.
The concerns have caused some range owners to invest in ventilation equipment and the gun industry to substitute iron and copper for lead in some bullets, but advocates claim the hidden danger is spreading.
"This is a public health problem, not a gun control issue," said Tom Diaz, who compiled a 2001 report on lead and gun ranges for the Violence Policy Center, which advocates banning guns. "The problem is you can take (lead) home to your kids. Nobody deserves to get this."
While acknowledging that gun owners must take precautions when it comes to lead, critics say the Violence Policy Center report is a thinly veiled attempt to get rid of guns by getting rid of firing ranges.
Many states, including Michigan, require gun safety classes before issuing a permit for a firearm. The Violence Policy Center report would effectively limit gun ownership, said Dave LeCourse, spokesman for the Second Amendment Foundation, which has offices in Washington and New York.
"People need a safe place to shoot," LeCourse said. "They (the Violence Policy Center) want ranges closed down. If you close down the ranges, you can't get training. Then you cannot own a gun in many states. It's about hatred of guns."
Ranges are suspect
Ranges from California to Alaska and Nevada have come under scrutiny.
In July, Impact Indoor Range in Sparks, Nev., was cited by state environmental officials for disposing of lead filters improperly. The officials warned the range that it could have contaminated adjacent buildings with unsafe lead levels.
Michigan requires blood tests for lead every six months for those working at ranges. Hoban said he was not tested while working at Alexander's.
Macomb County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Stone, supervisor of the department's firearms practice sessions, knows about those tests. In 1984, his doctor ordered him to temporarily stay away from practice sessions because of high lead levels in his blood. Stone said the various private ranges the department used were not always well-ventilated.
Now the Macomb County Sheriff's Department has its own range, with an impressive ventilation system that filters out lead dust clouds as soon as they are produced.
In addition, the range -- in the basement of the department's old jail in Clinton Township -- has an air flow meter to ensure that the process is working correctly. Floors are painted monthly to ensure that lead does not have a chance to build up.
"Before we got the new range, I would work eight hours and could blow black stuff out of my nose," Stone said. "There only was an exhaust fan in the ceiling. It did not do much."
The growing lead concerns have prompted many bullet manufactures to produce lead-free bullets made of iron. Hoban has heard of the bullets, but they were not available until the past few years.
So he continues to undergo examinations and tries to rid himself of the lead. His doctors have prescribed medication to try and sift the lead out. Hoban took the medication previously, but the pills only lowered his lead level a few points.
"I do not deserve this," Hoban said. "I am in constant pain."
http://www.detnews.com/2002/health/0210/29/a01-625519.htm
I think this is the reason Red's, here in Austin, has had their range closed for remodeling the past several months ..... WITH NO ETA ON WHEN IT WILL REOPEN! I miss having a range 5 minutes away.....
