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Ex-officer claims lead poisoning

The manager of the old police firing range sues, saying Largo was grossly negligent.

By RITA FARLOW
Published March 2, 2007

LARGO - A former Largo police officer has become the latest employee to claim he was exposed to dangerously high levels of lead while managing the Police Department's former firing range.

Tom Nilsson, a 24-year veteran of the department, alleges that he suffers from lead poisoning due to years of exposure at the old firing range. Nilsson left the department last year, but has a pending workers' compensation claim.

Largo City Attorney Alan Zimmet declined to comment Thursday, saying he was not aware of the suit, which was filed in mid February.

Nilsson's lawsuit claims that the city acted with gross negligence by operating the facility without proper cleaning and maintenance.

But it is unclear from the lawsuit when exactly Nilsson worked at the range or when he was diagnosed with lead poisoning.

Reached by phone Thursday at his home in Pinellas Park, Nilsson referred questions to his lawyer, John H. Thompson IV, who could not be reached for comment.

The indoor firing range in question was at 100 East Bay Drive on city-owned land.

A Hampton Inn and Suites now sits at the site. The city sold the property to developers in 2003.

Questions about lead levels at the firing range date back nearly three decades.

The range was closed in April 1979 after the St. Petersburg Times reported city officials knew about high levels of lead at the facility for nine months without disclosing it to the public, which also used the facility.

The Times also reported that rangemaster Charles Partin and his assistant Tony Longo both tested positive for elevated levels of lead.

The range reopened in May 1980, but was closed again in December 1981 after rangemaster Edmund Danielewicz was found to have high lead concentrations in his blood.

It reopened in the mid 1980s. In 2000 Largo police started using the firing range at the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center in St. Petersburg.

The National Institute of Health reports on its Web site that occupations relating to firing ranges are particularly at-risk for exposure to lead.

Contamination can occur when the weapon's firing pin strikes the bullet's primer and causes it to explode, igniting gunpowder.

Exploding primer contains lead, which is then emitted into the air and can settle into hair, skin and clothes of the person firing the weapon. If the bullet is made of lead, more lead dust is discharged when the bullet hits its target.

Longterm effects of lead poisoning can include high blood pressure, digestive problems, nerve disorders, problems with memory and concentration, cataracts, muscle and joint pain and damage to sperm production, said Jeannine Mallory, public information officer with the Pinellas County Health Department.

Nilsson's lawsuit also alleges that the city was "grossly negligent" for withholding information on the "unsafe, hazardous condition of the firing range" and that the city ignored e-mails from Nilsson, after he was diagnosed, that the ventilation system at the range was not working

Times staff writer Rita Farlow can be reached at 727 445-4167 or farlow@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 23:49:02]