- Joined
- Sep 22, 2003
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- 13,182
I was reading this on the net and thought I'd share it here since we talk about guns a lot. These are from Canada, but I think it would apply anywhere:
Case G is a firearms instructor for the Security industry. He contacted LEADLINE after watching a TV home improvement program on lead paint. When he had his blood lead tested and found he had a blood lead level of 1.68 µmol/L (35 µg/dL) his doctor "was helpful, but I dont think she knows that much about it herself". The senior police sergeant in charge of the Firearms Registry in his area had suggested that he be tested when the instructor started getting "very short-tempered". The Firearms Registry supervises all security firearms instructors in Victoria. The senior sergeant had been lead-poisoned himself (4.1 µmol/L - over 80 µg/dL) and needed chelation, and so was aware of the symptoms. The Victorian Police Departments Central Firearms Registry has prepared a 5 page information leaflet for instructors on the dangers of lead poisoning.
The instructor had previously worked only on outdoor ranges. The day after running his first 3 hour course at an indoor range, he felt "generally off-colour. The range isnt well-ventilated". After 12 of these sessions, "I have violent mood swings -my wife says its like bad PMT. I realise it at the time but I cant stop myself. Any increase of pressure on me is hard to handle. When I go out into the sun, if I get a lot of UV, I know Im going to get a lead dump. I get hot flushes - it feels like Im spontaneously combusting from inside - my entire body heats up and breaks out into a sweat. [See article following "Lead Poisoning: the Summer Disease".] I have short term memory loss and I get a hot metallic taste in my mouth after work." He also suffers joint pain for which he is being treated with anti-inflammatories. His marriage has been put under considerable strain, but knowing the cause of his problems has made it easier for him and his wife to cope with them.
He has since been attending the same doctor who is treating the senior sergeant, and has been told he is "at a stage where he is going to be having some problems" and should consider chelation treatment, but he is self-employed and cant afford to be out of work. Also he "has been told that there is a 50/50 chance of necrosis of the kidneys." He is trying to handle the situation by "keeping the gun work to a minimum" - he has not been back to the indoor range since his diagnosis, though he understands the people there have been making more of an effort to clean up the place, by "wetting down and sweeping."
When LEADLINE contacted the senior sergeant to obtain a copy of the Firearms Registry information on lead poisoning, he said that when he had been to the US for training he had been impressed with the ventilation of the indoor rifle/shooting ranges. He came back to teach for the Police Academy at the first Victorian indoor range and "It was a hole in the ground - they will not pay for ventilation or filtration. The Academy staff was lead poisoned from day one." He said that most pistol and rifle shooters would not know they could be at risk of lead poisoning, and would not know of the need for blood lead testing.
Case H is a 41 year old serving member of the Victorian Police Force who was a police pistol instructor for two years. Shortly after he commenced work at the range he had a blood lead level reading of 0.72 µmol/L (15 µg/dL).
After 2 years, his health began to fail He became ill and after a lengthy delay and numerous prescriptions of antibiotics he finally collapsed. He was lead tested and found to have a blood lead reading of 3.6 µmol/L (74.5 µg/dL). During his time at the pistol range he had requested from the Police Medical Branch that he be supplied with a copy of his readings, or at least be informed of his lead levels. His requests were rejected. He eventually took an action out in the Supreme Court, settled out of court and was awarded $10,000. He was tested again twelve months after leaving the range and still had a reading of 2.6 µmol/L (53.82 µg/dL). His doctor at that stage advised him that this reading was acceptable. It was subsequently found that this haematologist was referring to the old standard of 25 µg/dL.
He changed doctors and after two years of being "free from working at the range" he still had a reading which the doctor described as "very high". The new doctor, who contacted the LEADLINE Project, said that he had undertaken medical training during the 50s and "knew a bit about lead probably because of the war." He had undertaken some research when the officer had presented and contacted the Flinders Medical Centre who told the doctor that there was no treatment. The doctor admitted his patient to hospital after the patient experienced a severe bout of depression and a treatment regime was undertaken involving BAL (British Anti Lewisite) This treatment of intramuscular injections was described by the patient as "excruciatingly painful, but I did feel better afterwards." The doctor commented that perhaps he should have given massive doses of Vitamin D to mobilise the lead during the treatment.
Seven years later the police officer has just had a normal reading of 0.40 µmol/L (8.28 µg/dL). He still has severe headaches that can last for two weeks, and is aware that he is sunlight sensitive. As a serving member of the Police Force he cannot always avoid sun exposure and this often leads to debilitating "migraine style headaches". He has been treated with morphine, pethidine and more recently with cortisone for the headaches. The cortisone is to reduce the brain swelling which the doctor attributes to the lead poisoning.
The police officer stated that "I didnt realise that there was a problem. It just creeps up on you. One minute you are mad crazy and the next you are in a corner crying. I had mood swings from severe aggression to severe depression." He stated that his wife had commented in the past that "he was not the man she married" because of his mood swings. These had now improved as his blood lead levels decreased. He stated that they had no trouble conceiving their first child, who was 18 months old when he began work at the pistol range, but they did have difficulty conceiving their second child which was when he would have had high levels. He had also experienced a drop in libido for about two years, but that he just hadnt recognised it as a problem at the time.
After the officer was transferred the range was "gutted" and the insulation bats which were about 10-12 cms thick were removed. "You can usually pick up a pack of twenty bats with no trouble." However, these bats were so heavy with impregnated lead that it took two men to lift each bat. He remembered that the ventilation system used to often be clogged up. He and other officers were provided with overalls, boots and a mask with a filter on the sides, but the mask was very uncomfortable to wear while cleaning out the bullet traps and "we didnt wear them much. A helmet type mask would have been better". The range was cleaned by a civilian cleaner, but he did not clean the bullet traps, the police did. The office which they used was adjacent to the range and was their rest room, meal room, their total environment. It was often covered in a fine black dust.
He recently arrested a local man for assault and a domestic violence offence. Upon questioning, the offender was identified as a painter of some twenty five years experience who did a lot of work renovating old cottages, stripping back old paint. The officer referred him to his doctor, who subsequently attributed the painters "sudden, aberrant behaviour" to lead poisoning.
This police officer still has severe effects some seven years after being poisoned. He has recently received a call from the sergeant who took over his position at the range after he left, asking about his symptoms. He advised his replacement to have a medical check.
The police officer was being visited by a friend who was a pistol instructor for the security industry when the friend complained of a severe "across the front of the head" headache. Once again the officer recommended a visit to his doctor and the friend was found to have blood lead levels even higher than himself (see Lead Workers: Case G). The pistol instructor told the doctor that he had noticed he was having aggressive mood swings.\
Does anyone know what the best thing to wash your hands and arms with after shooting to get any lead residue off?
Case G is a firearms instructor for the Security industry. He contacted LEADLINE after watching a TV home improvement program on lead paint. When he had his blood lead tested and found he had a blood lead level of 1.68 µmol/L (35 µg/dL) his doctor "was helpful, but I dont think she knows that much about it herself". The senior police sergeant in charge of the Firearms Registry in his area had suggested that he be tested when the instructor started getting "very short-tempered". The Firearms Registry supervises all security firearms instructors in Victoria. The senior sergeant had been lead-poisoned himself (4.1 µmol/L - over 80 µg/dL) and needed chelation, and so was aware of the symptoms. The Victorian Police Departments Central Firearms Registry has prepared a 5 page information leaflet for instructors on the dangers of lead poisoning.
The instructor had previously worked only on outdoor ranges. The day after running his first 3 hour course at an indoor range, he felt "generally off-colour. The range isnt well-ventilated". After 12 of these sessions, "I have violent mood swings -my wife says its like bad PMT. I realise it at the time but I cant stop myself. Any increase of pressure on me is hard to handle. When I go out into the sun, if I get a lot of UV, I know Im going to get a lead dump. I get hot flushes - it feels like Im spontaneously combusting from inside - my entire body heats up and breaks out into a sweat. [See article following "Lead Poisoning: the Summer Disease".] I have short term memory loss and I get a hot metallic taste in my mouth after work." He also suffers joint pain for which he is being treated with anti-inflammatories. His marriage has been put under considerable strain, but knowing the cause of his problems has made it easier for him and his wife to cope with them.
He has since been attending the same doctor who is treating the senior sergeant, and has been told he is "at a stage where he is going to be having some problems" and should consider chelation treatment, but he is self-employed and cant afford to be out of work. Also he "has been told that there is a 50/50 chance of necrosis of the kidneys." He is trying to handle the situation by "keeping the gun work to a minimum" - he has not been back to the indoor range since his diagnosis, though he understands the people there have been making more of an effort to clean up the place, by "wetting down and sweeping."
When LEADLINE contacted the senior sergeant to obtain a copy of the Firearms Registry information on lead poisoning, he said that when he had been to the US for training he had been impressed with the ventilation of the indoor rifle/shooting ranges. He came back to teach for the Police Academy at the first Victorian indoor range and "It was a hole in the ground - they will not pay for ventilation or filtration. The Academy staff was lead poisoned from day one." He said that most pistol and rifle shooters would not know they could be at risk of lead poisoning, and would not know of the need for blood lead testing.
Case H is a 41 year old serving member of the Victorian Police Force who was a police pistol instructor for two years. Shortly after he commenced work at the range he had a blood lead level reading of 0.72 µmol/L (15 µg/dL).
After 2 years, his health began to fail He became ill and after a lengthy delay and numerous prescriptions of antibiotics he finally collapsed. He was lead tested and found to have a blood lead reading of 3.6 µmol/L (74.5 µg/dL). During his time at the pistol range he had requested from the Police Medical Branch that he be supplied with a copy of his readings, or at least be informed of his lead levels. His requests were rejected. He eventually took an action out in the Supreme Court, settled out of court and was awarded $10,000. He was tested again twelve months after leaving the range and still had a reading of 2.6 µmol/L (53.82 µg/dL). His doctor at that stage advised him that this reading was acceptable. It was subsequently found that this haematologist was referring to the old standard of 25 µg/dL.
He changed doctors and after two years of being "free from working at the range" he still had a reading which the doctor described as "very high". The new doctor, who contacted the LEADLINE Project, said that he had undertaken medical training during the 50s and "knew a bit about lead probably because of the war." He had undertaken some research when the officer had presented and contacted the Flinders Medical Centre who told the doctor that there was no treatment. The doctor admitted his patient to hospital after the patient experienced a severe bout of depression and a treatment regime was undertaken involving BAL (British Anti Lewisite) This treatment of intramuscular injections was described by the patient as "excruciatingly painful, but I did feel better afterwards." The doctor commented that perhaps he should have given massive doses of Vitamin D to mobilise the lead during the treatment.
Seven years later the police officer has just had a normal reading of 0.40 µmol/L (8.28 µg/dL). He still has severe headaches that can last for two weeks, and is aware that he is sunlight sensitive. As a serving member of the Police Force he cannot always avoid sun exposure and this often leads to debilitating "migraine style headaches". He has been treated with morphine, pethidine and more recently with cortisone for the headaches. The cortisone is to reduce the brain swelling which the doctor attributes to the lead poisoning.
The police officer stated that "I didnt realise that there was a problem. It just creeps up on you. One minute you are mad crazy and the next you are in a corner crying. I had mood swings from severe aggression to severe depression." He stated that his wife had commented in the past that "he was not the man she married" because of his mood swings. These had now improved as his blood lead levels decreased. He stated that they had no trouble conceiving their first child, who was 18 months old when he began work at the pistol range, but they did have difficulty conceiving their second child which was when he would have had high levels. He had also experienced a drop in libido for about two years, but that he just hadnt recognised it as a problem at the time.
After the officer was transferred the range was "gutted" and the insulation bats which were about 10-12 cms thick were removed. "You can usually pick up a pack of twenty bats with no trouble." However, these bats were so heavy with impregnated lead that it took two men to lift each bat. He remembered that the ventilation system used to often be clogged up. He and other officers were provided with overalls, boots and a mask with a filter on the sides, but the mask was very uncomfortable to wear while cleaning out the bullet traps and "we didnt wear them much. A helmet type mask would have been better". The range was cleaned by a civilian cleaner, but he did not clean the bullet traps, the police did. The office which they used was adjacent to the range and was their rest room, meal room, their total environment. It was often covered in a fine black dust.
He recently arrested a local man for assault and a domestic violence offence. Upon questioning, the offender was identified as a painter of some twenty five years experience who did a lot of work renovating old cottages, stripping back old paint. The officer referred him to his doctor, who subsequently attributed the painters "sudden, aberrant behaviour" to lead poisoning.
This police officer still has severe effects some seven years after being poisoned. He has recently received a call from the sergeant who took over his position at the range after he left, asking about his symptoms. He advised his replacement to have a medical check.
The police officer was being visited by a friend who was a pistol instructor for the security industry when the friend complained of a severe "across the front of the head" headache. Once again the officer recommended a visit to his doctor and the friend was found to have blood lead levels even higher than himself (see Lead Workers: Case G). The pistol instructor told the doctor that he had noticed he was having aggressive mood swings.\
Does anyone know what the best thing to wash your hands and arms with after shooting to get any lead residue off?
:footinmou
