Info Pack - QLD - lead-safety at shooting ranges

 Collated by Elizabeth O’Brien, BSc (Sydney), Grad Dip Health Education

According to Australian researchers Brian L Gulson, Jacqueline M Palmera, Andrew Bryce. Science of The Total Environment Volume 293, Issues 1–3, 3 July 2002, Pages 143–150  [“Changes in blood lead of a recreational shooter” - full article available for purchase for US$41.95 at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969702000037 ; abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12109468:

“Although more expensive, the use of Cu-jacketed bullets, non-lead primers and well-ventilated indoor firing ranges would lessen the health impacts of recreational shooting.”

I searched for “lead free” on the Queensland Gun Exchange website and got quite a few results - http://www.qldgunexchange.com/QGEWeb/product_search.seam?cid=430729 – although my searches for copper-jacket, Cu-jacket and non-lead primer were fruitless, so I hope you will phone them on (07) 3393 0933 and let me know what they supply that is recommended for reducing lead exposure of the shooter.

I couldn’t find lead-free, non-lead primer or copper on Cleaver Firearms site http://www.cleaverfirearms.com/ although the photos of some ammunition look like they might be copper-jacketed, so you would have to phone them too, on (07)38831733, and please let me know what they say.

The dust on the concrete floor and indoor hard surfaces in your firing range can be tested for lead at a lab (whereas the Lead Check kits by 3M available at good hardware stores are only sensitive enough to test for lead in paint - and they're only colour-change kits, so you end up not knowing HOW MUCH lead is in the paint, just a general idea of whether there's SOME lead in the paint).

The LEAD Group charity has set up a DIY-Sampling kit (You can phone to order a kit or fill in the form on our website) where you collect the samples and post them to a lab for lead analysis - which gives you the exact amount of lead in dust wipes and/or paint (and/or soil or water or jewellery etc) PLUS an interpretation report to tell you what the results mean in terms of lead-safety for your child, as well as recommendations on what to do about the results, tailored to your situation.

If you test the dust (using the dust wipes which come in the above kit) you'll know for sure whether your shooting range cleaning protocol is adequate, but the general rule is that lead dust should never be accessible to children.