Abstract

This study’s aim was to determine the presence, as well as to evaluate the health and environmental impacts, of chemical elements from firearm shots during shooter practice at outdoor shooting ranges, both in the environment and on the shooters’ hands. Two high-precision devices were used for measuring suspended particles that are released during discharge of Taurus PT 100 .40 caliber pistols. The analysis of collected data allowed the identification of specific distribution patterns of samples that were adsorbed. Moreover, samples were collected from the opisthenar area of the hand to investigate both the occurrence and deposition of particles and chemical elements through scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results indicate that copper, lead, and zinc concentration profiles will be able to delimit and reveal more precise details regarding shots made with nontoxic ammunition (NTA). In particular, the residual graphic analysis indicated that the majority of metal deposited in the shooter's hand is zinc. Further, the metals barium and lead also were detected. Due to the exposure to these elements, it could be concluded that engineering controls and administrative management should be sought in order to avoid human overexposure and environmental release of these airborne toxic metals.

摘要

这项研究的目的是确定射击者在户外射击场练习期间枪支射击中化学元素的存在，以及评估对健康和环境的影响，无论是在环境中还是在射击者的手上。两个高精度设备用于测量 Taurus PT 100 .40 口径手枪在发射过程中释放的悬浮颗粒。对收集到的数据的分析允许识别被吸附样品的特定分布模式。此外，通过扫描电子显微镜结合能量色散光谱（SEM-EDS）从手的后部区域收集样品，以研究颗粒和化学元素的发生和沉积。结果表明，铜、铅、和锌浓度曲线将能够界定和揭示关于使用无毒弹药 (NTA) 进行射击的更精确的细节。特别是，残留图形分析表明，射手手中沉积的大部分金属是锌。此外，还检测到金属钡和铅。由于暴露于这些元素，可以得出结论，应寻求工程控制和行政管理，以避免人类过度暴露和这些空气中有毒金属的环境释放。