Ashland armory

The floor next to the kitchen counter in the Ashland armory is contaminated with lead levels four times higher than are considered safe.

(Oregon Military Department)

The Oregon Military Department has closed the Ashland armory to the public because of lead contamination, the fourth to be shuttered in the state.

The decision comes five days after The Oregonian/OregonLive reported the National Guard facility was one of four across the state being kept open despite unsafe levels of lead inside.

The armories are used by soldiers but also as venues for weddings, Boy Scout meetings and other community gatherings.

Test results received May 21 showed lead from an indoor shooting range had spread throughout the building, contaminating the floor in the main gathering hall. Military officials have shuttered all 12 indoor ranges in Oregon but said they saw no need to take the precaution of closing the Ashland armory in anticipation of those results.

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Three other facilities, in Portland, Pendleton and Bend, remain open to National Guard employees and the public despite unsafe lead levels inside. The Portland armory is scheduled to be cleaned this week.

The Ashland building is still open to full-time employees. Maj. Stephen Bomar, a Military Department spokesman, said the agency is considering closing it to workers, but has not done so yet.

Bomar said workers have been given educational documents warning them about the risks associated with lead dust, which was generated by shooting practice at the armory's now-shuttered indoor range. They've also been told "not to ingest the dust at the higher levels," Bomar said.

A lead safety advocate said employees shouldn't be working in a contaminated building, even if they've been warned. Tests have shown some commonly used areas have lead levels 41 times higher than is considered safe.

"It's in the employer's best interest to clean up the hazard so their employees are safe and protected," said Tamara Rubin, executive director of the Lead Safe America Foundation. Even with education, employees "are still not protected."

People working around high lead dust levels can breathe it in or accidentally ingest it if they eat an apple or smoke a cigarette without first washing their hands, Rubin said.

It can also be tracked home on the shoes or in the clothes, contaminating children's clothes through the laundry or the carpet at home.

Ingesting lead can cause miscarriages, memory loss, infertility, brain and kidney damage, even death. Public health officials say no amount of lead in the body is safe, especially for children.

Rubin filed a formal worker safety complaint with the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration after The Oregonian/OregonLive contacted her.

A spokeswoman for the state agency declined to comment about whether it would open an investigation.

-- Rob Davis and Samantha Swindler

rdavis@oregonian.com

503.294.7657

@robwdavis

sswindler@oregonian.com

503-294-4031

@editorswindler