Occupational Lead Exposure from Indoor Firing Ranges in Korea.
10.3346/jkms.2016.31.4.497
- Author:
Won Ju PARK
1
;
Suk Ho LEE
;
Se Ho LEE
;
Hye Sik YOON
;
Jai Dong MOON
Author Information
1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Korea. luvoem@gmail.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Firearms;
Heavy Metal Poisoning;
Korea;
Lead Poisoning;
Military Personnel
- MeSH:
Adult;
Air Pollutants/*blood;
Air Pollution, Indoor;
Drinking;
Edetic Acid/chemistry;
Female;
Firearms;
Humans;
Lead/*blood/chemistry;
Male;
Military Personnel;
Occupational Exposure/*analysis;
Odds Ratio;
Republic of Korea;
Risk Factors;
Spectrophotometry, Atomic;
Young Adult
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2016;31(4):497-501
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Military personnel often use ammunitions that contain lead. The present study aimed to identify the risks for lead exposure and lead poisoning among workers at indoor firing ranges. A special health examination, including blood lead level (BLL) testing, was performed for all 120 workers at the indoor firing ranges of the Republic of Korea's Air Force, Navy, and Armed Forces Athletic Corps. The overall mean BLL was 11.3 ± 9.4 µg/dL (range: 2.0-64.0 µg/dL). The arithmetic mean of the BLL for professional shooters belong to Armed Forces Athletic Corps was 14.0 ± 8.3 µg/dL, while those of shooting range managers and shooting range supervisors were 13.8 ± 11.1 µg/dL and 6.4 ± 3.1 µg/dL, respectively. One individual had a BLL of 64 µg/dL, and ultimately completed chelation treatment (with CaNa2-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) without any adverse effects. These findings indicate that indoor firing range workers are exposed to elevated levels of lead. Therefore, when constructing an indoor firing range, a specialist should be engaged to design and assess the ventilation system; and safety guidelines regarding ammunition and waste handling must be mandatory. Moreover, workplace environmental monitoring should be implemented for indoor firing ranges, and the workers should undergo regularly scheduled special health examinations.
