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Lead exposure in the firearm industry : lead and the health effects of lead exposure

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Lead is a bluish-grey metal that is naturally present in the earth’s crust. Lead is used in the manufacturing of many consumer and industrial products and can be found in a variety of workplaces.... More ≫

Description

Lead is a bluish-grey metal that is naturally present in the earth’s crust. Lead is used in the manufacturing of many consumer and industrial products and can be found in a variety of workplaces. Workers can be exposed to lead mainly through breathing in lead dust, fumes and vapour, or by ingestion. Ingestion usually occurs by eating, drinking or smoking in areas where lead contamination exists or hand to mouth transfer of lead including nail biting, licking one’s finger or touching one’s face. The health effects from lead exposure are the same regardless of how a worker is exposed. Most of the lead will leave the body when we go to the bathroom, lose skin cells, etc. The lead that remains in the body tends to accumulate through ongoing exposures and can be released into the blood at a later time long after the original exposure happened.

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