So I went to my first IPSC match tonight at an indoor range (which by the way was freakin awesome!!), and I ended up being there for about 3 hours, cause I did some shooting before hand as well.  Now I go to this range all the time but usually for only an hour or so.  It was pretty smokey and hot in there, well when I got home I was washing up and when I blew my nose all of this black-stuff came out of my nose, like the carbon build-up on a dirty firearm.  WTF??  Everytime I blow my nose it keeps coming out black.  I have left with mild head-aches before after shooting there for a decent amount of time.  So what gives?  Is this bad for you or what?  How much lead do you think is in the smoke, if any?  How much lead exposure do you think you get from shooting 100-200 rounds per week and cleaning multiple firearms each week?  


Thanks for any info.  



BTW:  IPSC is freakin awesome!  Next I will be going to an IDPA shoot and hope to get into three gun by next spring.  Competing can teach you a lot!

Glocktalk.com had a pretty informative post on lead poisoning information a while back.

glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=344349

Dibs on your gear............

Quoted: So I went to my first IPSC match tonight at an indoor range (which by the way was freakin awesome!!), and I ended up being there for about 3 hours, cause I did some shooting before hand as well.  Now I go to this range all the time but usually for only an hour or so.  It was pretty smokey and hot in there, well when I got home I was washing up and when I blew my nose all of this black-stuff came out of my nose, like the carbon build-up on a dirty firearm.  WTF??  Everytime I blow my nose it keeps coming out black.  I have left with mild head-aches before after shooting there for a decent amount of time.  So what gives?  Is this bad for you or what?  How much lead do you think is in the smoke, if any?  How much lead exposure do you think you get from shooting 100-200 rounds per week and cleaning multiple firearms each week?   Thanks for any info.   BTW:  IPSC is freakin awesome!  Next I will be going to an IDPA shoot and hope to get into three gun by next spring.  Competing can teach you a lot!

You'd be surprised. It can be very little... Or quite a lot.

The most important thing you can do to reduce your overall lead intake is to wash your hands. After you shoot, before you leave the range, again after your get home, and certainly immediately after you clean firearms. Thoroughly wash and scrub your paws before you eat, drink, or smoke. You get more lead into you from ingesting it than you do through breathing it. All that nasty mucus means that powder residue, and lead, are getting caught, and ejected from your body. This does not happen when you consume it, other than by the natural process of your body leaching it back out.

If you have small, young children at home, and you frequent the indoor range on a regular basis, try to wash any clothing that you wear to the indoor range separately from theirs. Do not mix loads. Lead is far, far more harmful to their developing brains than it is to yours. When you leave the range, make a conscious effort to cut through the grass going to your car if there are no 'tacky mats' at the entrance doors to the range.

Quoted: Dibs on your gear............

thats messed up man.  

Leaad ith blain food!

Quoted: Quoted: So I went to my first IPSC match tonight at an indoor range (which by the way was freakin awesome!!), and I ended up being there for about 3 hours, cause I did some shooting before hand as well.  Now I go to this range all the time but usually for only an hour or so.  It was pretty smokey and hot in there, well when I got home I was washing up and when I blew my nose all of this black-stuff came out of my nose, like the carbon build-up on a dirty firearm.  WTF??  Everytime I blow my nose it keeps coming out black.  I have left with mild head-aches before after shooting there for a decent amount of time.  So what gives?  Is this bad for you or what?  How much lead do you think is in the smoke, if any?  How much lead exposure do you think you get from shooting 100-200 rounds per week and cleaning multiple firearms each week?   Thanks for any info.   BTW:  IPSC is freakin awesome!  Next I will be going to an IDPA shoot and hope to get into three gun by next spring.  Competing can teach you a lot! You'd be surprised. It can be very little... Or quite a lot. The most important thing you can do to reduce your overall lead intake is to wash your hands. After you shoot, before you leave the range, again after your get home, and certainly immediately after you clean firearms. Thoroughly wash and scrub your paws before you eat, drink, or smoke. You get more lead into you from ingesting it than you do through breathing it. All that nasty mucus means that powder residue, and lead, are getting caught, and ejected from your body. This does not happen when you consume it, other than by the natural process of your body leaching it back out. If you have small, young children at home, and you frequent the indoor range on a regular basis, try to wash any clothing that you wear to the indoor range separately from theirs. Do not mix loads. Lead is far, far more harmful to their developing brains than it is to yours. When you leave the range, make a conscious effort to cut through the grass going to your car if there are no 'tacky mats' at the entrance doors to the range.

Thanks for the info.  I am pretty good about scrubbing my hands and face after-wards, but I never thought about the clothes or the shoes.  

I could see a good character for a movie, a hypocondracht (sp? )  shooter who suits up in plastic before he goes to the range.