Lead Poisoning in Children: An Overview of the Condition

Lead poisoning in children refers to lead intoxication in children under the age of 18. Exposure occurs through the digestive, respiratory, or bloodstream (mother-to-fetus) routes and spreads throughout the body, particularly in the skeleton, where it gradually accumulates and remains stored for a very long time (half-life exceeding 10 years). Lead poisoning in children can have serious irreversible consequences, particularly on cognitive and psychomotor development.

• Learn more about the disease

Shooting ranges and the risk of childhood lead poisoning: what you need to know

Lead exposure linked to visiting shooting ranges, and in particular to shooting, is a proven risk factor for childhood lead poisoning.

Exposure in young children can be attributed to:

• direct contamination due to their presence at the shooting range

• indirect contamination from dust brought home by a family member who has visited a shooting range for recreational and/or professional reasons

Key Points 2015–2018

• 29 children aged 0 to 17 underwent initial screening. Among them, 18 had blood lead levels of 50 μg/L or higher and were subject to mandatory reporting.

• 20% of the children were over 16 years old and 82% were over 7 years old. One case of lead poisoning was identified in a child under 7 years old.

• Five regions were affected: Pays-de-la-Loire (38%), Île-de-France (17%), Midi-Pyrénées (17%), Rhône-Alpes (17%), and Picardy (11%).

Main causes of lead poisoning associated with visits to shooting ranges

• Failure to comply with required standards regarding ventilation, facility design, and areas isolated from shooting ranges

• Failure to wear appropriate clothing, failure to wash hands or shower after shooting, maintaining firearms at home…

Preventing the risk of lead exposure by following proper safety practices

To raise public awareness about the proper precautions to take, Santé publique France reiterates the guidelines to follow when shooting regarding equipment and best practices:

• Do not put your hands in your mouth,

• wash your hands after each shooting session or take a shower if possible,

• eat or drink outside the shooting range after washing your hands first,

• clean the firearm at the shooting range.

Additionally, it is recommended to discuss your shooting activities with your primary care physician to consider, if necessary, a blood lead level test.

More broadly, preventive measures targeting people who frequent shooting ranges and awareness-raising efforts among healthcare professionals are necessary and essential to limit the risk of exposure.