How to decontaminate my gun?

[cclaxton]

In February 2012, I went for my six month checkup and asked the doctor if the lab tests he orders for me include lead levels. To my suprise, it is not a standard test that doctors order because lead poisoning has nearly been eliminated in the general public. I only started shooting in May 2011 and I wasn't exposed to lead at work or anywhere else. (I live in the burbs, work at an office, etc.). I don't reload. So, I asked the Doctor to add it to the lab order to set a reference. I wasn't really worried but I wanted a reference level.

Starting in August 2011, I got into IDPA, and started shooting matches every weekend and practiced at two local indoor ranges. Some of the matches were shot at indoor ranges. Those matches involve going downrange to shoot and paste the targets, manipulate the moving targets, put bowling pins back on the platform, sweep away brass, etc. Most of these ranges were very old and had poor or marginal ventilation. I could see lead dust on the floors and see spent bullets on the backstop and sometimes on the floor. (BTW, even a TMJ bullet will flatten and expose lead when it hits an object, thus exposing the lead at that time.) During this time I washed my hands after shooting about 75% of the time, sometimes ate and drank in the clubhouse, but never in the range. I used regular soap and water. I cleaned my guns about once a month using Hoppes, and not gloves, and always washed after cleaning guns.

Lab results just came back and my level is 22. Doctor told me that 30 is considered toxic (can damage things), and 10 or less is normal. He ordered me to not shoot indoor for a while, and be really careful with eating and drinking unless I have washed properly. He said that normal soap and water don't remove most of the lead and that the CDC actually developed a technology to remove most of the lead from hands, hair, and equipment. It was licensed for production to a company called Hygenall. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491637222104303.html He asked me to use Hygenall after shooting and always use it before eating or drinking. It is available from a number of distributors. D-lead has been used a lot in the construction industry for those handling lead-paint extraction and lead remediation. It seems to be preferred for cleaning walls, equipment, siding, etc. But evidently is not as good as Hygenall at removing it from the skin.

My doctor thinks the likely way I am getting lead into my system is through eating and drinking without sufficiently cleaning my hands and face after shooting practice. He does think it could also be due to inhaling lead dust at improperly ventilated or contaminated indoor ranges, so he wants me to eliminate that first, keep my hands and face clean before eating, etc. He didn't say anything about changing clothing, but I may do that as well to help the doctor determine the sources of the lead I am ingesting somehow. I will continue to shoot at the NRA range, which has state-of-the-art ventilation and lead control systems.

I highly recommend that you get YOUR level checked as soon as possible, even if you are shooting non-lead bullets. You could be exposed to lead at the range.

I am going to recommend Hygenall for all the range operators where I shoot, and will bring Hygenall wipes with me wherever I go to shoot. I recommend the use of Hygenall to anyone who is shooting very frequently.

I don't work for Hygenall, have no investment in Hygenall or any person in my family who owns interesst in Hygenall...just to be clear.

I will report back once I see the results of my new practices.
CC

[Tamara]

My doctor thinks the likely way I am getting lead into my system is through eating and drinking without sufficiently cleaning my hands and face after shooting practice. He does think it could also be due to inhaling lead dust at improperly ventilated or contaminated indoor ranges, so he wants me to eliminate that first, keep my hands and face clean before eating, etc.

Yeah, 22's pretty high.

The single biggest thing is probably going downrange, because it gets that stuff all over your shoes and pants cuffs. You get off the range, wash your hands, and then re-contaminate them in the evening when you pull your shoes off before you go in to brush your teef. One thing that helps is sticky pads on the floor at the range exit.

Seriously, my LL was 12 after a few years of working at an indoor range. Never washed with anything but soap and cold water (to keep the pores closed.)

Then again, I eat a diet high in both iron and Vitamin C, and wash my hands or vigorously apply a handi-wipe before I touch stuff that's going to go in my mouth.

[Yute]

I am going to recommend Hygenall for all the range operators where I shoot, and will bring Hygenall wipes with me wherever I go to shoot. I recommend the use of Hygenall to anyone who is shooting very frequently.

CC

I've been using Hygenall wipes as well - Brownells carries them under the name "Fieldwipes" (disclaimer: no financial ties to Hygenall/Brownells). It's just like a regular wet-wipe but has a surfactant which is meant to aid in lead removal. Smells decent too. My regular decon procedure is to wipe down my face/hands with the wipes, and then a quick rinse with water. Then a shower at the earliest possible time.

I've also bought a home lead test to test the surfaces on which I clean my firearms - thus far there has been no readings, so I must be doing something right...

[cclaxton]

Yeah, 22's pretty high.

The single biggest thing is probably going downrange, because it gets that stuff all over your shoes and pants cuffs. You get off the range, wash your hands, and then re-contaminate them in the evening when you pull your shoes off before you go in to brush your teef. One thing that helps is sticky pads on the floor at the range exit.

Seriously, my LL was 12 after a few years of working at an indoor range. Never washed with anything but soap and cold water (to keep the pores closed.)

Then again, I eat a diet high in both iron and Vitamin C, and wash my hands or vigorously apply a handi-wipe before I touch stuff that's going to go in my mouth.

Thanks for the excellent information about recontaminating from clothes and shoes.

On the diet: The Medical Establishment thinks that eating healthy also helps to prevent absorbtion of lead into the bloodstream: high-fiber, balanced with vegetables and fruits are one of the recommendations as well. Your thoughts?

Also, what is your experience/opinion on shooting in poorly ventilated ranges? Is there enough lead particles in the dust/vapors to worry about?

Thanks,
CC

[nternal]

In February 2012, I went for my six month checkup ....

Lab results just came back and my level is 22. Doctor told me that 30 is considered toxic (can damage things), and 10 or less is normal. He ordered me to not shoot indoor for a while, and be really careful with eating and drinking unless I have washed properly.
CC

My experience has been similar. I spent the first 5-6 weeks shooting a lot (on my own and with a tactical training group). I didn't know anything about the precautions one should take and my lead levels turned out to be a little less than half of what is considered toxic (but still 10 times the average level in Canada). I got educated and have begun taking precautions such as using D-lead products and wearing hazmat booty/pants at the range. I hate the idea of stopping shooting but I've decided to scale back to a minimum.

[cclaxton]

I bought a pack of Lead-Check lead detection swabs.

I swabbed the boots I used to shoot outdoors and sometimes indoors. I also swabbed my carry gun which I practice with regularly. The boots had the most contamination and the gun had lighter contamination, but enough to be concerned about. I have attached photos showing the two swabs. The one on the left is from my boots and the one on the right is from my Kimber 1911 carry gun. The darker the red color, the more contamination.



I haven't checked my competition Cz75 but I am sure it has worse contamination because I shoot it a lot more at matches and at the range.

I think what is happening is I have lead contamination on my guns, mags, shoes, boots, clothing, hands (after a match or practice), and I am then picking up that contamination when I eat or drink or touch my mouth with my hands.

I bought a large bottle of D-Lead Surface Cleaner at Home Depot and am going through and systematically cleaning my guns, mags, ammo-loaders, etc. to remove lead contamination on everything that I touch. I am not worrying about the internal parts since I will clean them using Nitrile Gloves and solvent. I will then reapply D-Lead to outside of gun when done.

At the range:
1) I am either going to buy a pair of boots for exclusive use at the range and just keep them in a plastic bag when I am done, OR buy contamination booties to put over my boots/shoes and just throw them away when done. The booties may not work out too well for outdoor, so I think I am going with special boots.
2) I am taking Hygenall wipes with me for cleanup after matches and time at the range, and making sure I don't skip the washing anymore.
3) I am taking a lead-paint respirator to the range with me and I will use it when I walk downrange to paste/setup/assist. If I do any sweeping of casings, I will use the respirator and try not to stir up dust.

Overall, I am being more conscious of lead sources and making sure contamination is removed and being more careful before I eat and drink, especially at the range.

Egads, this is gonna be more of a pain than I expected. But, good news is it is not at the toxic level yet, and I don't have to give up shooting!!!
CC

[lamarbrog]

When I think of all the lead I am exposed to daily at work, and the relatively minor precautions we take and still keep within safe levels, and then compare that to how little exposure most folks here are likely getting and the extremes some are going to.... it makes this thread very amusing.

I monitor my levels because I work in a lead rich environment. Once I stop working in an indoor shooting range, I guarantee you I will never get my lead levels checked again. It is a complete waste of time and money for the average shooter.

I'll also take a second to mention that these tests are not entirely accurate. I was tested on one occasion and my levels were supposedly at nearly 70ppm. No one else had abnormal levels, and there was no reason mine should have been higher. A test only days later to confirm that number showed I was actually right in the pack with everyone else where I should have been. The test had falsely shown my lead levels at more than double what they actually were.

[Tamara]

When I think of all the lead I am exposed to daily at work, and the relatively minor precautions we take and still keep within safe levels, and then compare that to how little exposure most folks here are likely getting and the extremes some are going to.... it makes this thread very amusing.

I monitor my levels because I work in a lead rich environment. Once I stop working in an indoor shooting range, I guarantee you I will never get my lead levels checked again. It is a complete waste of time and money for the average shooter.

I understand what you're saying, and I, too, stopped getting tested when I stopped working at an indoor range. Washing the cack off my hands after shooting is enough of a precaution for me (I keep handi-wipes in the range bag for just that purpose,) but...

22 is a high return for someone who does not work in a high-exposure environment. Even at the range at which I worked, I would have cracked down on an employee who got that result back, making sure they didn't exceed the daily time on the range, washed their hands before eating or drinking, didn't take any food or beverages into the back room (being adjacent to the range door and baffle area, it was on the "dirty" side of the air-handling system,) Tyvek'ed up before setting foot across the firing line, et cetera.

Anything below 20 was de facto proof that whatever they were doing on their own without being babysat was within bounds. (I think only two people returned over twenty the whole time I worked there.)

[cclaxton]

When I think of all the lead I am exposed to daily at work, and the relatively minor precautions we take and still keep within safe levels, and then compare that to how little exposure most folks here are likely getting and the extremes some are going to.... it makes this thread very amusing.

I monitor my levels because I work in a lead rich environment. Once I stop working in an indoor shooting range, I guarantee you I will never get my lead levels checked again. It is a complete waste of time and money for the average shooter.

I'll also take a second to mention that these tests are not entirely accurate. I was tested on one occasion and my levels were supposedly at nearly 70ppm. No one else had abnormal levels, and there was no reason mine should have been higher. A test only days later to confirm that number showed I was actually right in the pack with everyone else where I should have been. The test had falsely shown my lead levels at more than double what they actually were.

If you choose to take the risk for yourself and ignore the well-documented health dangers of lead poisoning, then that is your choice. I don't think it's right to tell everyone else that they should not take this seriously. If someone died or got seriously ill because they took your posting advice, you would feel terrible, right?

CC

[TGS]

If you choose to take the risk for yourself and ignore the well-documented health dangers of lead poisoning, then that is your choice. I don't think it's right to tell everyone else that they should not take this seriously. If someone died or got seriously ill because they took your posting advice, you would feel terrible, right?

CC

Just realize that this thread has a healthy dose of hyper-vigilance (read: hypocondriasis) in it.

No one is ignoring the well-documented health risks of lead. Rather, they're just putting it into context. Keep in mind that lamarbrog didn't even respond/quote you personally, so he might not even be speaking to your situation where you're walking somewhere where you shouldn't be in the first place without a respirator and tyvek suit (downrange at a gun range). So, don't feel the need to have to justify yourself to someone's non-specific post. You're an adult and can make your own decisions, and if his non-specific comment bothered you then just imagine what you're going to feel like dressed up in PPE at the range when everyone is staring at you.

Me personal comment about your BLL post: Obviously, going down range at an indoor range should only be done with the proper PPE as referenced by range workers who've posted here. I think booties in your situation are pointless.....the lead dust down there will also be on your clothes, not just your boots, so if you need to wear booties then you need to be wearing a tyvek suit, too. Also keep in mind that your exposure is fairly low, and your BLL's are still non-toxic. Washing your hands and wearing the respirator for going downrange would probably be more than sufficient. Personally, I just wouldn't be attending those matches at that range.

ETA: What ranges are they that you're shooting at? There was only three I'd shot at in NoVA when I lived there.....NRA, Sharpshooters, and The Range in Stafford. I've observed the guys at Sharpshooters, and even for just running that brass-picker-upper-cart thing in front of the line, they wear full PPE covering 100% of their body. I couldn't stand to be in there for more than an hour anyway because of the ventilation (or lack thereof), and there's no way I'd be walking downrange in that place.