AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Assessment of Lead Particle and Acidic Gas Exposure During Gun Firing
JUN WANG, Lin Shou, Chang-Yu Wu, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Abstract Number: 681 Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract Modern ammunition used in gun shooting consists of lead (Pb) bullet, gun powder, and primer. Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate, while primers are compounds such as lead styphnate, nitrate, chloride, and sulfide. The firing process creates gas and particles from primer ignition and powder burning, which may have adverse health effects to the shooters. The knowledge about the shooting fume’s composition is currently scarce. The objective of this study is to assess the shooter’s exposure to the lead aerosol and acidic gas when firing different types of gun, in both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges. In this study, silica-gel type personal samplers were worn by the shooters while firing. The indoor range was well-ventilated with low relative humidity, while the outdoor range was a more open area with high relative humidity. Since pistols and rifles have distinct barrel lengths and hence different combustion conditions, only one type of gun was fired during each sampling period to investigate the effect of each type. The gas and particles collected by the silica gel were extracted according to NIOSH method 7903, and analyzed by an ion chromatograph (IC) for acidic gas concentration. The results showed the shooter’s averaging exposure to the sulfuric acid were 1.76 (±0.35) milligram per cubic meter for pistol and 0.76 ((±0.27) milligram per cubic meter for rifle over 2 hours sampling period, while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limits (PEL) for sulfuric acid is 1 milligram per cubic meter for 8-hour time weighted average. Nitric acid in the samples was below PEL, while hydrochloric acid was below the detection limit. There was no statistical difference between the samples collected from indoor and outdoor shooting range. The partitioning of acidic gas in gas and particle phase will be evaluated using a newly developed denuder-type personal sampler. The lead particles will be analyzed by an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Furthermore, a scanning mobility particle sizer will be used to examine the particle size distribution in the shooting fume.