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Old March 9, 2013, 01:27 PM   #14
FlyFish
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Join Date: January 20, 2009
Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley
Posts: 1,723
Quote:
In reality, elemental lead from the bullets isn't that much of a problem. It's the organic lead (lead styphenate) from the primers that is the real problem. Unlike elemental lead, lead styphenate is readily absorbed into the body.
Although it's not very soluble in organic solvents, and I doubt it has a particularly high dermal absorption factor, lead styphenate is definitely toxic and I'm sure it can enter the body via inhalation or ingestion. But the average shooter never really comes in contact with lead styphenate, which is contained in the primer and relatively inaccessible.

You're correct that the problem isn't so much with lead from bullets, but the problem is in fact with elemental lead, which is one of the combustion products of lead styphenate. The combustion products of the priming compound become part of the ejecta leaving the barrel when a round is fired, and the lead particles are small enough to remain suspended in the air where they can be inhaled. Nearly 100% of inhaled particulate elemental lead enters the bloodstream (vs. around 40% if ingested [there are lots of other values in the literature for ingestion, but I think 40% is somewhat accepted] and near zero for dermal exposure). Wearing a half-face respirator with P100 pancake filters can reduce exposure in indoor ranges with poor ventilation, which is to say just about all of them.
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