PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 6, 2022) – The Baltimore County Police Department will pay a $15,800 penalty for hazardous waste violations associated with the improper management of lead-contaminated soil at an outdoor firing range in Timonium, Maryland, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. 

The outdoor firing range is used by county police officers for firing practice of primarily handguns, which use bullets made of lead and a copper alloy. The soil at the firing range is considered hazardous waste due to lead concentrations from bullets, and it must be handled and disposed of in accordance with EPA regulations.

Exposure to high levels of lead may cause serious health problems. Lead is toxic and exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. Children six years old and younger are most susceptible to the effects of lead, but it can also be harmful to adults. EPA efforts to reduce lead exposure have contributed to blood lead levels in U.S. children steadily dropping over the past four decades, but lead exposure persists in communities throughout the country.

EPA cited the police department for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal law governing the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect public health and the environment, and avoid long and extensive cleanups, by requiring the safe, environmentally sound storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

Alleged violations included: operation of a hazardous waste management facility without a permit, failure to provide hazardous waste management training to staff, failure to provide hazardous waste responsibilities in written job descriptions, and failure to have a hazardous waste contingency plan.

The EPA website has more information about EPA’s hazardous waste program .