Is spent gunpowder dangerous to the human body?

Question

Hello, probably around July of this year I had an encounter with gunpowder.

When firing a .22 LR revolver, an old casing expelled both the bullet and the rear of the casing, along with some high-velocity spent gunpowder in the direction of my finger. The shrapnel drew a bit of blood and to this day I still have small, visible, charcoal-colored particles in my finger. The affected area was properly sanitized after the event and all that is left now are probably 10 small particles of spent powder visible beneath the skin. After researching whether or not gunpowder was dangerous, I concluded that the spent materials probably are not carcinogenic, seeing as lead is not one of them (the bullet exited the barrel normally). Should I consult a doctor, or is this something that will eventually harmlessly disappear as skin regenerates?

Answer 1

You have been painfully tattooed. The unburnt carbon or the graphite lubricant from the smokeless powder has gone into your skin. The fact that you have not experienced pus formation at the site of the particles indicates that they are essentially inert to the body. You have two choices. You can treat it as a wound that your body tolerates or you can go to a ta too removal expert who will use a lasar tuned to the black carbon to vaporize it. Then your body will  process it.