Exposures to lead during urban combat training.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Toxicology
• Military Medicine

Background:

• Lead exposure remains a significant occupational hazard for law enforcement and military personnel.
• Increasing numbers of women of fertile age in these professions necessitate monitoring lead exposure during firearms training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess lead exposure and its impact on blood lead levels (BLLs) in cadets and instructors during firearms training.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of leaded versus unleaded ammunition in different training scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Personal air sampling was conducted during urban combat training (UCT) using both leaded and unleaded ammunition.
• Blood lead levels (BLLs) were measured pre- and post-course for 42 cadets and five instructors.

Main Results:

• During leaded ammunition scenarios, instructors had higher airborne lead exposure than cadets.
• A statistically significant increase in BLLs was observed in cadets despite low external exposure.
• Instructors supervising closely during leaded scenarios showed the most significant BLL increase.

Conclusions:

• Comparably low airborne lead concentrations during firearms training can contribute to increased body burden.
• Additional exposure reduction measures are crucial, especially for instructors.
• Findings suggest potential for instructors to reach concerning BLLs with repeated exposure in leaded scenarios.