Range closed due to lead exposure.

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Chapuis
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Range closed due to lead exposure.

#1 Post by Chapuis »

Does anyone know any further information on this story? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-62093591
FredB
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#2 Post by FredB »

In the 1980s, I shot in a PP! league that included three police teams. We went from indoor range to indoor range, once a month on Thursday nights. We turned up at the Lancashire Police headquarters range one night to find their organiser missing. It turned out that, working as an instructor, he could spend up to eight hours a day on the range. The extractions system had been faulty for some time---unnoticed--- and he had severe lead poisoning. After, the match, we hurried back to plan upgrades to our range system, Ours was a company owned range and we had the works medical team check us for blood lead levels. We were all clear.
Fred
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Sim G
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#3 Post by Sim G »

This seems all a little convenient give the current health and safety push against the shooting sports…
In 1978 I was told by my grand dad that the secret to rifle accuracy is, a quality bullet, fired down a quality barrel..... How has that changed?

Guns dont kill people. Dads with pretty Daughters do...!
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Les
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#4 Post by Les »

^^ plus1 ^^

You took the words right out of my keyboard, Sim.
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Graham M
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#5 Post by Graham M »

The worst range I ever shot on was a TA range at Stourbridge. We were invited to shoot with them a few years ago and I just couldn't believe their set-up.
Our range draws in air at the firing point and expels it at the butts. Their range drew air in at the butts and expelled it behind the firing point, which meant that all lead contamination was being drawn up the range towards the shooters and over their heads to go through the expelling fans behind them. We pointed this out to them but they just shrugged and said that was what the army had fitted.
Only the bloody army could do this and think it was OK.
Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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Pippin89
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#6 Post by Pippin89 »

None of the cases are serious.....
This is pure speculation, but this is what I would assume happened. One of the staff had some medical symptoms, had some blood tests and was found to have a slightly elevated level of lead in his body. Due to being active on a range, it was suggested that the other staff have a blood test to be safe. UKHSA got wind of the events and decided it would be a good idea to promote their lead ban.
I'm not saying they have the correct ventilation necessary to deal with it, but I suspect it has all been blown way out of proportion.
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channel12
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#7 Post by channel12 »

As a retired health & safety inspector the problem of exposure to lead on indoor shooting ranges was recognised for at least 50 years. There was a HSE Guidance Note on this very issue and the risk to persons such as instructors who worked in such ranges. The source of the lead is the lead compound used to make non-corrosive primers and breathing in of the fume produced when the gun is fired. For the average shooter the exposure is trivial but for somebody who spends their working day on the firing point it's a problem because the effects are cumulative.
The solution is to have extremely good ventilation with the air being drawn down range from behind the firing point ie fumes from the gun being drawn away from the firer. It would seem that in this case there was a ventilation issue at this range, sometimes installed safety systems are not maintained or not being used because workers didn't like draught of cold air on them.
I repeat the lead exposure is from the primer not from bullets hitting the backstop.
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Graham M
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#8 Post by Graham M »

I think modern primers use lead styphnate
Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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Blackstuff
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#9 Post by Blackstuff »

Does that include rimfire cartridges, as I think thats 99% what this range uses?
DVC
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Graham M
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Re: Range closed due to lead exposure.

#10 Post by Graham M »

I remember going around Eley when I was shooting on the COB range at Holford and we watched the priming process. We were told then that they used lead styphnate and I believe (it was over 30yeras ago) that it was mixed with water to make it safe, and then dropped into the RF cases where capillary action drawed it into the rims. The process was, I think, patented as "Eley prime" but don't quote me on that. There were a grid of cases set up and matching needles were lowered into the cases and a small drop of the compound was dropped in but I can't remember how those needles were filled.
The cases were then sent to a warm environment to dry, but we didn't get to see much of the actual process. We saw the club and match line but we weren't allowed to see the Tenex line.
We were told the tale of when the cases were once primed in an area in the middle of the site and the old priming compound was brought in on a railway system and women used to do the priming by hand. The building was made completely of wood and doweled together without the use of nails or any other metal fastenings. This area was surrounded by a wooden protection wall made of railway sleepers I think, which was to prevent the blast of an explosion from hitting the main buildings. One day the pot of priming compound exploded and the whole priming area was blown to pieces along with the entire workforce in the area.
I had the brochure here somewhere on my bookcase that give details of this explosion but I can't for the life of me find the damn thing.
Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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