Lead-based paints and associated soils are the leading cause of high-dose lead exposure among US children. Airborne or waterborne lead is less often implicated. More exotic sources of pediatric exposure include folk remedies in several ethnic groups1,2 and, historically, burning of contaminated fuel sources. Children of gun-owning parents have been reported to suffer lead poisoning following ingestion of bullets or shotgun shells.3 Childhood lead poisonings due to parental work materials (often clothing) have been reported for more than a decade.4,5 Both the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics identify transport of contaminated workplace materials to the home or transport of children to the contaminated workplace as sources of preventable lead exposure.1,6
Lead in the rifle- or pistol-range environment is a well-recognized source of lead poisoning among adult marksmen, including police, rifle-range personnel, coaches, and maintenance workers.7-10 More than 16