ArticleAmerican journal of preventive medicine2026
Lead Ammunition Use and Post-Shooting Hygiene Practices Among U.S. Firearm Owners.
Article in American journal of preventive medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
introductionLead is a neurotoxicant with no safe exposure level. Firearm use represents an underrecognized source of exposure through aerosolized lead from ammunition and primers, with the potential for secondary and tertiary take-home exposures that may affect children. Few studies have quantified firearm use, and to the authors' knowledge, none have considered ammunition type or post-shooting hygiene behaviors.
methodsA cross-sectional analysis of the National Firearm Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted in December 2024 and analyzed in 2025-2026, was performed. The sample included adults aged 18 or older who owned a firearm, reported firing a firearm in the past year, used lead-based ammunition (or were unsure of the type), and answered questions about post-shooting hygiene behavior (n=1,565). Participants reported demographic and geographic characteristics (e.g., race, U.S. region, child in household) and firearm behaviors (e.g., shooting frequency, duration, indoor shooting, and storage practices). Outcomes were self-reported post-shooting hygiene behaviors (e.g., showering, changing clothes or shoes, isolating gear before entering the home), examined individually and as a summed continuous index using quasi-Poisson regression. Weighted percentages and rate ratios were estimated.
resultsAmong U.S. firearm owners who shot in the past year (75% male, 57% aged 31-59 years), 97% reported using lead-based ammunition or were unsure of the type. Most reported shooting monthly or less (94%) but for ≥30 minutes (91%); 32% primarily shot indoors. Overall, 46% (95% CI=43%, 49%) engaged in no post-shooting hygiene behaviors, and 30% (95% CI=27%, 33%) engaged in only 1. Hygiene behaviors were more common among non-White, younger, urban-dwelling individuals with higher education and income and among those who shot more frequently and for longer durations. Approximately 6 million U.S. children live in households where firearms with lead-based ammunition are shot annually and where caregivers report no post-shooting hygiene behaviors.
conclusionsThe use of lead-based ammunition is nearly universal among U.S. shooters, while post-shooting hygiene behaviors are uncommon and may represent a substantial pathway for residential lead exposure.
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Registered trials
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