Heavy Metal

“It’s astonishing that firearm use could have such a strong association with child lead levels that we could detect this signal, even when analyzing data across entire states,” Hoover said. “This finding underscores the potential public health impact of firearm-related lead exposure and highlights the need for further research in this area.”

Why Lead-based Ammunition?

The vast majority of hunters and recreational firearm owners use lead bullets because there are few alternatives—and there is little incentive to switch. Copper and biomass bullets are available, but they’re more expensive and less accurate, as they alter the bullet’s flight path. Lead bullets are also preferred for hunting because they expand upon impact, making them highly lethal, and potentially more humane for hunting.

Firearms are also designed specifically to work with lead ammunition, and alternatives can cause gun deterioration. In Hoover’s community-based work, he has yet to meet anyone who uses alternatives to lead bullets. The lack of incentive to switch and the potential drawbacks of alternatives keeps lead ammunition the first choice for most firearm users. But this reliance on lead bullets comes with significant health risks.

A 2021 study from Michigan State University found employees and patrons of a firing range in Michigan had lead dust on their personal belongings that was 37.5 times greater than the EPA’s standard for house floors.

In firing ranges that use HEPA filters, plumes of lead dust that are sent into the air from firing a weapon should be quickly absorbed. But the filters do little to prevent lead from settling on clothing, skin and personal effects. Lead is a heavy and sticky metal and firearm users carry lead-contaminated dust with them. They then unknowingly transport the toxin home.

“Range employees have been found to have such high levels of lead contamination that their homes and cars often require extensive decontamination, including reupholstering,” Hoover said. “The extent of the contamination—and the necessary abatement measures—is striking.”

Firearms, Lead and Self-harm  

Lead is not just a concern for children. In a 2023 op-ed penned for the Hartford Courant, Hoover detailed the link between firearms, lead exposure and suicide. “Studies have shown that individuals who survive suicide attempts often report immediately regretting their decision,” Hoover wrote. While other suicide methods may have barriers that can prevent the act from being carried out, “guns provide an instantaneous and lethal option, tailor-made for the impulsive decision-making that often leads to suicide.” 

Meanwhile, lead exposure is known to impact the parts of the brain that regulate impulse control. Hoover points out that firearms enable impulsive acts and are also themselves a significant source of lead, creating a compounded risk: “This dual threat raises serious concerns about the long-term implications for people who use guns or have a family history of gun use.

Firearms, Lead and Self-harm  

Lead is not just a concern for children. In a 2023 op-ed penned for the Hartford Courant, Hoover detailed the link between firearms, lead exposure and suicide. “Studies have shown that individuals who survive suicide attempts often report immediately regretting their decision,” Hoover wrote. While other suicide methods may have barriers that can prevent the act from being carried out, “guns provide an instantaneous and lethal option, tailor-made for the impulsive decision-making that often leads to suicide.” 

Meanwhile, lead exposure is known to impact the parts of the brain that regulate impulse control. Hoover points out that firearms enable impulsive acts and are also themselves a significant source of lead, creating a compounded risk: “This dual threat raises serious concerns about the long-term implications for people who use guns or have a family history of gun use.

“There is also evidence suggesting that in children and teens, as well as adults, higher lead levels are associated with increased depressive symptoms,” Hoover said. “Although we don’t fully understand the mechanisms, it appears that higher lead exposure over time may predict higher rates of depression.” He and Braun are investigating whether lead exposure may affect mental health more broadly. 

Community Buy-In

To address the risks of lead exposure caused by gun use, Hoover advocates mostly for community-based efforts, especially as some legislative attempts have worked while others have not. 

California, for example, banned lead ammunition for hunting in 2011–with a ten-year phase out–as it was poisoning California Condors, an endangered species that was dying of lead overdose after consuming dead game shot with lead. 

Attempts to ban recreational lead in California began after a major incident in which boy scouts tasked with cleaning a firing range were found to have dangerously high blood levels of toxic lead. But these efforts were quickly blocked when the state representative sponsoring the bill began receiving threatening calls, letters and emails; meanwhile, officials from the Olympics demanded the bill be shelved as it would impact their shooting games.

More effective is the long-established nation-wide ban on lead-shot when hunting waterfowl, which is aimed at preventing ducks, geese, swans and coot from ingesting spent lead in wetlands. 

But Hoover stresses that community work is most crucial. He’s found that gun owners are much more open to discussing lead exposure from guns than topics like violent injury. “There’s a consensus about the risks of lead exposure and motivation within these communities to prevent it,” he said. “Nobody wants their children to be exposed to lead.”

Hoover believes that community outreach can increase awareness about these risks. While people are aware that inhaling lead is dangerous, they often don’t realize that the dust can settle on clothing and personal effects, leading to secondary exposure. “Raising awareness of these issues—similar to raising awareness of second-hand smoke—is essential,” Hoover said.

One of the main challenges is the history of distrust between gun owners and public health practitioners. But Hoover finds that this distrust tends to be more pronounced at the margins. From his extensive work with gun owners, he’s found that the polarized views seen in special interest groups don’t necessarily reflect the attitudes of most individual firearm owners.

“I believe the solution lies within the gun-owning community itself,” he said. “We can’t simply legislate our way out of this problem; we need community buy-in.”