Seven San Diego Police Department officers filed workers’ compensation claims after blood tests showed high levels of lead in their bodies, and the police chief shut down an alleged outdoor shooting range. the cause.
No bullets have been fired at the range since May 17 and it could be another five months before it reopens. Jared Wilson, president of the San Diego Police Officers Association, urges all members to get blood tests.
“I’m shocked,” Wilson told NBC 7. “We just don’t know how far this is going at this point. And that saddens me.”
The range is located on Federal Boulevard, just north of State Route 94 and west of Interstate 805 in the Fairmount Park neighborhood. About a month ago, the city ordered air sample testing at the range after officers raised concerns. It’s not uncommon to find higher lead levels at shooting ranges, but these tests showed lead concentrations more than 10 times the OSHA standard for acceptable air levels.
“The officers working there have gray dust in their noses and ears at the end of the day after working there for 10 hours doing department shoots,” Wilson said. “And they’ve been exposed to lead dust for over a year now.”
Just over a year ago, the city installed a Vortex Total Containment Trap as part of an ongoing renovation project. When bullets enter a chamber, they are funneled into a compartment which can be removed and emptied. Prior to this installation, bullets were fired through targets in earth berms.
This design diagram shows how bullets enter a chamber, which funnels them into a containment trap.
The city chose not to include an optional dust collection unit. This unit uses negative pressure to draw dust and toxins to the back of the trap where they enter a filtering system.
Each year, SDPD sworn officers are required to complete firearms proficiency training at this distance for both their duty weapons and their off duty weapons. It’s a minimum of three sessions per weapon.
The police union says firearms instructors working on the range now suffer from chronic headaches and joint pain, and all seven officers recently tested for lead exposure and reported levels blood lead in adolescents. NBC 7 Investigates asked to see those test results, but officers declined to share their medical information.
Doctors say no level of lead in your blood is considered safe. Cal/OSHA requires employers to immediately remove workers who test at or above 50 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. The California Department of Public Health considers any level above five to be “dangerous.”
“Lead is a known toxin to your brain,” said Dr. Richard Clark, MD, director of toxicology at UC San Diego Health. “It’s a neurotoxin. And we know that the more lead you have in your body and the more you are exposed to it, the worse it is.
Clark said higher lead levels or prolonged exposure can cause brain and kidney damage, and even kill you. It is also dangerous for pregnant women and can cause miscarriages, stillbirths and birth defects.
“It enters the body very easily when you inhale it,” Clark said. “You breathe that in, and it gets into your lungs and into your body really well. It doesn’t take much air for it to enter your body.
This is why lead dust is of particular concern at shooting ranges. Yet the city opted not to install this dust collection unit, safety equipment that would add $184,000 to the city’s $17.8 million range renovation project.
“It’s disappointing,” Wilson said. “It’s a little too tight to the point where we’re hurting the workers.”
When we asked the city why the collector was not installed, they said it was optional. The manufacturer confirmed to NBC 7 Investigates that some customers choose not to install them on the outdoor ranges.
A public records request filed by NBC 7 shows a city employee pushing for the dust collection unit to be added to future phases of the project. In July 2021, this employee wrote in part:
“As one of our breaches was related to lead dust, the integration of these devices in the next phases would appear to be a priority. I understand that the inclusion of one of these devices was rejected during the final phase of design. Having received violations in February of 2020, I find it difficult to understand the logic of this decision.”
“I can’t believe the mismanagement that ensued,” Wilson said. “I have a lot of concerns at this stage and we still have a lot of questions.”
Fixing lead issues on the range is now a priority. Mayor Todd Gloria’s office did not make him available for an on-camera interview, but sent a statement:
“Mayor Gloria has an unwavering commitment to providing all city employees, including our police officers, with safe working conditions. The potential increase in lead exposure stems from a new bullet retrieval system that was installed in 2020 and is due to rifle (not pistol) cartridges for which officers must demonstrate proficiency under POST. Once the Chief of Police became aware of this lead exposure, he made the decision to close the range to prevent further exposure. Upon learning of the situation, the mayor immediately ordered the purchase of a dust collector to help mitigate the lead particles in the air. The mayor expects this dust collector to be installed and the firing range to be operational by October. Additionally, it is important to note that the Mayor had already allocated $2.7 million for improvements to the Department’s range in this fiscal year’s budget.
Since the range is now closed, the department is advising officers to use other police departments or private firing ranges for training.
NBC 7 Investigates found the lineup was cited for lead offenses prior to the renovation. This most recently happened during a routine inspection of the stove in February 2020, which this city employee was referring to in his email regarding the dust collection unit.
Five violations were discovered at that time, related to the proper handling and disposal of hazardous waste.
- Offense 1: Failure to properly determine waste
- Offense 2: Failed to properly dispose of hazardous waste at an authorized facility.
- Offense 3: Failed to maintain and/or operate the facility to minimize the possibility of a fire, explosion, or any sudden or non-sudden release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste components.
- Offense 4: Initial and/or annual employee training not provided on safety procedures for hazardous material release or threat of release and/or employee training records not available or not retained for 3 years.
- Offense 5: Has not reported and/or updated the required inventory information for hazardous waste generated at the facility in the ESRB.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22050524-sdpd-pistol-range-nov-4008-federal-blvd-203185
