Fake bullets, real dangers to actors

An entertainment industry safety group is warning that many of the small explosive squibs affixed to actors and stuntmen to simulate the impact of bullet contain particles of lead, creating a potentially hazardous toxic dust upon explosion.

“These bits, combined with the settled fume, can contaminate clothing, hair, furnishings, and even cameras and equipment,” according to a new report Tuesday by Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety Inc., a nonprofit group, the Los Angeles Times reported. “This dust can expose the cast, crew, spectators and people occupying the space to lead.”

Monona Rossol, a chemist and industrial hygienist who authored the report, told The Times she was prompted to study the issue after learning of the availability of lead-free varieties of squibs, which vary in shape and size but can resemble small firecrackers. She said the report was not financed by any outside group.

Rossol’s report says a single squib containing the explosive lead styphnate could expose people on sets to well above the allowed limit for the substance set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency that regulates exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace.

Peter Melton, a spokesman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, told The Times that employers who use lead squibs are required to conduct air sampling tests to determine if their employees are “exposed above the action level or permissible exposure limit.”

He said that Cal/OSHA has not conducted an inspection in the entertainment industry related to the use of lead squibs. At the request of the Los Angeles Times, Cal/OSHA’s research and standards unit reviewed Rossol’s report.

“In our view, the article represents a worst-case scenario,” said Melton. “Cal/OSHA agrees that lead should be removed whenever possible so as not to unnecessarily expose workers. But the actual release of lead in the squibs has to be measured.”

Representatives of two industry trade groups — the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG-AFTRA, which represents stunt performers — told The Times they were reviewing Rossol’s report and had no immediate comment on her analysis.

—City News Service