Air Filtration for Firing Ranges - Clean air solutions
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Air Filtration for Firing Ranges Clean air solutions
Shooting Ranges, Design, Ventilation & Air Filtration
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
GET THE LEAD OUT
Exposure to lead dust and fumes In most cases, workers and noticeable at first. But over time,
at an indoor firing range can shooters can accumulate lead in lead can damage the brain, blood,
present a potential health risk to their bodies faster than the body nerves, kidneys and reproductive
shooters, instructors and range can remove the lead resulting in organs. This damage can cause
employees. Protecting the health people being slowly poisoned. serious disability: memory loss,
of range employees and shooters, The symptoms may hardly be extreme tiredness, emotional
while minimizing environmental problems, even kidney failure,
contamination from lead Early Signs and Symptoms of Lead Poisoning coma or death.
exposures, should be an important Uneasy As lead accumulates in the body,
element in the safety plan. Fatigue Headache
stomach the body is more susceptible of
How does lead affect the human Sleeplessness
Irritability or
Metallic taste temporary or long term permanent
body? nervousness damage. A blood lead level (BLL)
People can be exposed to lead by Poor appetite
Reproductive test can show whether your
problems
breathing in lead dust or fumes body has absorbed a dangerous
Later Signs and Symptoms quantity. A high blood lead level is
while inside a shooting range. They
can also ingest lead by eating, Aches/pains Memory
Constipation
an indication that lead is building
in stomach problems up in the body faster than it can be
drinking or smoking after coming
in contact with lead particulate or
Muscle and
Nausea
Weak wrists or eliminated.
joint pains ankles
contaminated objects.
Kidney
Weight loss
problems
Extreme cases of lead poisoning can result in
convulsions, coma or death.
SOURCES OF LEAD IN FIRING RANGES
If control of contaminants is to be High levels of lead dust in
considered, then all sources must firing ranges can settle on
be investigated including: the bodies and clothes of
• Exploding primers containing employees and shooters. The
lead styphnate and the friction dust can then be carried to
from a lead slug against the their cars and homes, where
gun barrel can create airborne it can be a hazard to others
lead. in their family, especially
children, who are more
• High lead dust levels can susceptible to damage.
accumulate inside indoor
ranges with inadequate Loading bullets into firearms
ventilation. creates a fine dust that is very
difficult to clean. Resultant
• Slugs hitting the bullet trap, dusts can contaminate surfaces
walls, floors, or ceiling of the or be carried to other inhabited
range also create lead dust. areas.
• Spent bullets and settled dust Copper or nylon-clad bullets
can contaminate the indoor and non-lead primers (such as
range environment mannitol hexanitratetetracene)
• Improperly cleaning the range can significantly reduce the
also can cause settled dust to amount of airborne lead
become airborne. discharged in firing.
2 Camfil – Clean Air Solutions
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
GUIDELINES FOR PROTECTING EMPLOYEES AND RANGE USERS
According to OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1025, the
permissible exposure limits (PEL) for a range employee to
lead is 50 micro grams per cubic meter of air exposed over an
8 hour period, taken on a time weighted average. In order to
maintain acceptable indoor air quality, proper filtration is an
absolute must or else the health risks are extremely high. An
example of how much lead is generated from a single gunshot
is that one .38 caliber round has been shown to produce over
100 times this amount (>5000µg) in a single discharge. If you
multiply this by the number of shots a single shooter performs
during their visit, by the number of shooters a day, by the
hours of operations per day, the lead builds up extremely quick.
Protecting people from the exposure of lead is Camfil’s primary
focus. Even though the HVAC systems designed into these
ranges is at the discretion of the firing range, it is our job to
help provide filtration products that deliver the best air quality
possible.
Camfil is committed to providing air filter solutions that will
provide GUARANTEED filtering efficiencies to help prevent
the risk of exposure to range employees and customers. When
dealing with toxic levels of heavy metals, such as lead, there is
very little room for error.
An important design consideration is air movement
through the breathing zone of the shooter. The velocity at
this point should be high enough to take the contaminants
away fro the shooter and back to the air filtration system.
Financial Repercussions for Non-Compliance Can Be Devastating
OSHA is responsible for monitoring have their own safety monitoring Longer lasting air filters means
indoor ranges. If an employee’s organizations which do routine fewer filter changes and lower
blood lead level (BLL) exceeds the checks. The bottom line is that disposal costs. Air filters should be
permissible levels, that range facility there is no limit to how much a selected based upon guaranteed
is required to remove that employee range can be fined and the best maintained efficiency and long filer
from the work environment, with prevention is good procedures and life.
full pay, until their BLL returns back solutions. There are many firing
to acceptable levels. ranges out there not operating up
A typical OSHA fine could run a to code, mostly because they are
range facility well over $14,000, unaware of the risks involved.
and in some recent cases over Another major financial concern For example, in 2012,
$100,000. This fine comes on top is air filter disposal cost. State and an indoor firing
of also having the employee out local regulations in most areas range in Chicago was
of work and the loss of business require special procedures for the inspected by OSHA
associated with the negative disposal of lead-contaminated and fined $111,000
connotation of having poor indoor air filters. On average it costs six for health violations
air. Fines are at the discretion of times as much to properly dispose associated to high
OSHA so risk management should of lead-contaminated products lead levels.
be an essential understanding when compared to standard waste
for all ranges. Some states also disposal.
Camfil – Clean Air Solutions 3
Shooting Ranges, Design, Ventilation & Air Filtration
FIRING RANGE DESIGN
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
Poorly designed ventilation systems produce air currents and subjected to unsafe exposure levels of generated contaminants
recirculation that can carry fumes and dusts emitted from unless proper design precautions are enacted.
firearms to the area behind the firing line. Recirculation and The simplest system to contaminants is a high volume, single
channeling air flow can be caused by various structures in pass, ventilation system using 100% outside air. High energy
the firing range, such as: costs, the space required for ductwork, and the requirement
• overhead barriers to filter the air before discharge, make this an ineffectual and
• sound barriers rarely selected choice.
• booth walls Most engineers opt for a system that will provide proper airflow
across the breathing zone of range occupants, introduce
• light fixtures
sufficient levels of fresh outside air, maintain a negative range
• poorly located air inlets pressure differential with respect to other areas of the building,
• or even the shooter location. and remove offending contaminants through the use of air
Employees should be informed as to the importance of filtration. Air should be introduced in a horizontal laminar
maintaining design airflow patterns through the range. Air pattern if possible.
supplies and exhaust should never be blocked, and care Range design varies, but most ranges are about 100 feet
should be taken when placing objects in the range area that long, 8 to 10 feet high, and will have a varying width based
may obstruct airflow. It is very important that a ventilation upon the number of shooting stations. Use the following to
system that serves the range area be completely separated calculate airflow through the range (where 75 (fpm) equals
from any ventilation for the rest of the building. the recommended velocity through the range to carry
Firing Range Design contaminants):
Firing ranges present unique problems for the design Q = H x W x 75
engineer. Aside from the consideration of removing smoke Where:
buildup that restricts the vision of shooters, toxic byproducts Q = the total amount of supply air required
of shooting materials must be removed to protect users,
H = Height of the range, from floor to highest ceiling point
and the range officer. The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) has determined that users may be W = Width of the range, wall to wall at shooters stations
See graphic
next page.
Airflow should be designed so clean air washes over the shooters area, moves through the range picking up contaminants with a
percentage of the air exhausted to remove gases. Air should continue to the air handler where particulate based contaminants can
be removed from the air stream.
4 Camfil – Clean Air Solutions
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
Many ranges include a range office, wherein the range officer people using the firing range. Prime consideration must be
is able to operate the targets and communicate with the shoot- given to removing contaminants from the participants and
ers. Since this individual is subject to longer exposure terms, operating personnel breathing zones.
a separate filtration/ventilation system should be considered. Ventilation System Design
It is important that this area be maintained under positive
Supply air uniformly across the width of the room, and as far
pressure, with respect to the shooting area (be sure to include
up-range as possible. Ideally, the supply air would be intro-
the negative pressure already designed into the shooting area
duced through the entire back wall. Since this is usually not
when considering calculations for this area).
possible, air is usually introduced at the ceiling or at an angle
Outside Ventilation Air Minimum between the wall and the ceiling. A ventilation rate which
All of the pollutive components of a range may be addressed will result in a horizontal airflow of 75 fpm across the room
by the use of air filtration, except nitrogen oxide and carbon is recommended. Velocities in excess of 100 fpm will create
monoxide. Systems do exist to remove this contaminant (cat- undesirable turbulence and velocities less than 50 fpm will not
alytic conversion) but they are unlikely to be applied because provide adequate velocity to remove contaminants.
of factors of economy. Control of these contaminants is better A separate exhaust system should be installed, to remove
accomplished through ventilation dilution, and a recircula- approximately 25% of total supply air, downstream of the
tion system. A make-up air ration of 30% is recommended to firing range. This exhaust air must be filtered in accordance
prevent the buildup of oxides of nitrogen and carbon monox- with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
ide. Additionally, supply air should be less than exhaust air, to (EPA) requirements. This step applies dilution ventilation for
create a slightly negative pressure, with respect to other areas removal of oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide from the
of the facility. A ‘rule of thumb’ is the difference between the range. Supply less make-up air than is exhausted to create A
supply and exhaust should be 10% of the total CFM being negative pressure, thereby preventing cross contamination to
handled. other areas of the facility. The usual rule of thumb is that the
Recirculation and Contaminant Removal difference between supply and exhaust should be 10% of the
The air system must be capable of removing gaseous contam- total air being handled.
inants (through ventilation dilution), smoke, unburned powder, Negative pressure should be checked on a daily basis, using
lead particles, paper debris and various other contaminants. a pressure differential sensing device that confirms a negative
Normal contaminants generated by the occupants are not pressure of 0.02” w.g. (5 Pa). Camfil recommends that this be
a consideration, as proper system application exceeds the a permanently wall mounted device to allow range officers to
clean air criteria published in other air quality standards or review negative pressure at a glance.
recommendations (non-industrial). Ventilation is required for Camfil recommends that this be a permanently wall mounted
two specific reasons. One is to prevent the buildup of smoke, device to allow range officers to review negative pressure at a
which could interfere with the vision of shooters. The second glance.
is to prevent hazardous exposure to the range officer and the
For optimum control of contaminants in firing ranges select:
• The Camfil Farr 30/30 as a prefilter to remove larger particles and increase life of downstream final filters
• The Camfil Hi-Flo ES2 (or Durafil ES) to remove particles (minimum 75% efficiency at 1.0-micron)
• The Camfil Absolute VG, 99.99% efficiency at 0.3-micron, tested and certified.
Camfil – Clean Air Solutions 5
Shooting Ranges, Design, Ventilation & Air Filtration
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
AIR FILTER SELECTION FOR SHOOTING RANGES
Camfil recommends a prefilter, a secondary filter and a V-bank HEPA filter to meet the safety requirements of
protecting employees and visitors to shooting ranges.
The Camfil Farr 30/30® has set the standard for pleated filter
performance for over 50 years. Its MERV 8-A performance is
guaranteed throughout the life of the filter and the media has been
specifically designed to provide a longer life than any other pleated
panel filter available.
When used as the first stage of filtration in a shooting range system
it will extend the life of the secondary and Absolute filter stages
reducing disposal costs and landfill waste.
The Camfil MERV 14-A Hi-Flo® ES will remove particles
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
For the highest economy of operation Camfil recommends
an Absolute VG at the HEPA filter stage. Offering the
ultimate level of employee and visitor protection each
Camfil Absolute® is factory tested and certified at a
minimum efficiency of 99.99% when evaluated on
particles 0.3 micron in size.
Its increased media area, three to four times that of
standard HEPA filters means longer maintained lower
pressure drop reducing the electric expense to move air
through the filter. Utility costs can be reduced by over
40%.
This increased media area also translates to a longer
filter life significantly reducing labor to change the filters,
disposal costs and landfill waste. With fewer changes,
employee exposure to contaminants is reduced.
The unique plastic enclosing frame reduces the weight
of the filter to less than 30 pounds on a full size (24”
x 24” x 12”) That is over 40% less when compared to
metal framed products making the Absolute VG easier
to handle. It even includes handles to facilitate ease of
installation, removal and transport. Because of the nature
of the application in shooting ranges disposal costs are
often based upon weight, the Absolute VG’s reduced
weight reduces that disposal cost.
All of these product solutions have one thing in
common, and that is they all come with an efficiency
guarantee. After all, the whole reason we need air
filters is to capture unwanted and harmful particulate
out of the air. Camfil recognizes the primary reason
for air filters and stands behind their products with
a guarantee that our products will do what they are
supposed to do; clean the air. Camfil is focused on
maintaining good indoor air quality for firing ranges
to help minimize the risk associated with ”business
terminating” government fines. Our job is to keep the
employees and customers in these facilities healthy so
business can continue as usual without the worries of
filters losing efficiency or excessive waste disposal costs.
Camfil – Clean Air Solutions 7
Shooting Ranges, Design, Ventilation & Air Filtration
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
AIR FILTER HOUSING SELECTION FOR SHOOTING RANGES
The Camfil MultiTrack GlidePack®, shown with a 30/30 prefilter and
Durafil ES2 secondary filter, is the housing of choice for new or retrofit
installations. It is designed to have less than on-half of 1% leakage
from the housing to the conditioned space and less than one-half
of 1% leakage across the filters ensuring that ll of the air moving
through the system is treated by the air filters. Only a well-designed
housing can ensure that the system efficiency matches the efficiency
of the air filters.
The MultiTrack includes track adapters that slide easily in or out to
facilitate different type of filters so the proper filters can be applied
to the application. For ranges the most common selection includes a
Camfil 2” deep 30/30 and a Camfil Hi-Flo ES.
The GlidePack includes static taps so magnehelic gages may be
installed to evaluate filter life, a key requirement to ensure that ranges
are getting full use of filter life.
For the HEPA filter stage for shooting ranges, Camfil recommends the Camfil MagnaPack® Absolute® filter
housing. The MagnaPack housing is specially designed to be entirely leak-free. When air filters are installed
properly, the housing offers an air filter seal than can be confirmed through particle count filter evaluation.
Manufactured of 14-guage galvanized steel, the MagnaPack will mate directly to a Camfil MultiTrack GlidePack.
For high volume shooting ranges Camfil offers
CamContain containment systems wherein the
design offers the ultimate level of filter service
personnel protection. Air filters are serviced
through a bag-in/bag-out process where
contaminated filter are not directly handled
by employees. All filter are changed within
a filter service bag thereby ’containing’ the
contaminants protecting employee and the
environment.
8 Camfil – Clean Air Solutions
CLEAN AIR SOLUTIONS
CAMFIL TOOLS TO ASSIST IN DETERMINING
FILTER VALUE FOR SHOOTING RANGES
Energy Use You Can See
— The Camfil CamTester
The Camfil CamTester is a mobile unit that evaluates energy
used by air filters — any manufacturer’s air filters. Install our
Camfil air filters in the clear plenum and adjust the airflow.
Digital readouts display cfm and the filter’s resistance to
airflow. Now install a competitor’s filter.
The comparison will astound you.
You can also “hear the difference” as the fan motor strains
to provide the rated airflow through air filters with higher
resistance. The CamTester is an excellent tool to bring
decision makers together with visual evidence on how your
facility can save energy by changing your filters to Camfil.
Life Cycle Cost Anaalysis
— Camfil Software to Optimize Your Filter Selection
Camfil has developed a life cycle cost (LCC) software for optimizing
air filters used in ventilation systems. It examines multiple
parameters looking at filters not only in terms of price but:
• Energy cost
• Operating hours
• Filter price
• Different environments
• Filter quality
• Labor costs
• Duct cleaning
Based upon the design of the system, and user input if there is a
filter service history, calculations are performed to determine the
minimum number of filters needed for the lowest total cost over a
given time period. Significant factors include average filter pressure
drop, filter life and energy costs. Camfil incorporates a database of
real life air filtration performance as documented over the last 20
years, Camfil filters and competitors filters.
Camfil LCC can optimize the air filter selection for your shooting
range.
All of the air filters listed are guaranteed to last longer than any
other filter available of similar design. Additionally, they are all
guaranteed to operate at their published efficiency throughout the
life of the filter.
Camfil – Clean Air Solutions 9
Air Filtration for Firing Ranges
Camfil is the world’s largest
and leading manufacturer of air
filters and clean air solutions.
There is a good chance that, at this very moment, you
are breathing clean air that has passed through an air
filter manufactured by us. Our products can be found
everywhere from offices to clean rooms for sensitive
electronics production, mines, factories, hospitals and
nuclear power stations. Camfil Farr is a global company
with 29 subsidiaries, 23 production plants and an extensive
network of agents in Europe, North America and Asia.
1 North Corporate Drive | Riverdale, NJ 07457
Phone: 973.616.7300 | Fax: 973.616.7771
camfil@camfil.com
www.camfil.com
www.camfil.com
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