Worried about lead in solder. Again.

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#21
I would hate to see lead back in gasoline because of the lose of the catalytic converters.
Most of you here are old enough to remember what it used to be like. Traffic was noxious.
It remained so up into the 90s in Europe. I can't smell the lead, but I can sure smell the fumes!
 
#23
lead in gasoline

I'm glad the lead in the gasoline is gone. All those burned engine valves, all that scraping to get the lead deposits out of my car heads. I quit having burned engine valves about 1980, and I'm still driving the same '59 Ford. I can't make Reformulated Gas knock, it just overheats the engine if you get the spark too advanced.
The reduction in crime-theft particularly- is correlated in time to lead gas elimination, but is also correlated in time to the "three felonies and you're a lifer" laws. I lost 3 VCR's, a graphic equalizer, the best drill I ever owned, a grinder, and a SLR camera to crazed druggie breakins, too wimpy to carry off the TV. No crime in the last ten years, same neighborhood.
 
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#24
Somewhere there has to be a happy medium where we use somewhat hazardous materials knowledgeably and in appropriate ways. I'm glad leaded gas is a thing of the past, but leaded solder has way more benefits than problems. Good riddance to lead paint too. Lead improves machinability in brass and steel and it doesn't present any serious hazard there, yet RohS forbids it in many materials. We went overboard on mercury as the 1.35V reference batteries used in cameras and lab equipment have no equals when it comes to simplicity and stability. Something more useful would be to find a way to prevent power plants from sending the stuff into the atmosphere. Paint hasn't been worth a darn since the strict VOC regs went into effect. You used to be able to do a nice spot repair on your car using acrylic lacquer for a few bucks. Now it's hundreds of dollars because now you only have triple coat enamel finishes that can only be used on whole panels. The smallest available quantity of paint for my car is about $200. Stupid.
 
#27
Nylon or cotton gloves can protect hands from contamination, minor cuts, etc. Мoreover what is probably more important gloves can protect electronic devices from fingerprints. Fingerprints are no good at all on soldering surfaces, they must be pristine clean. Just make sure particular brand electrostatic safe (ESD GLOVES).

Gloves/protective glasses are wise safety precautions working with Pb free solder as well.
 
#28
tangmonster said:
No scientific grounds for this ,but i believe the people who are the most worried about getting illness and sanitising every last thing are the ones who get sick the most.
Click to expand...

Agreed, they are also the ones who have more allergies. My advice to new moms is to let your kid play in the garden and if they happen to eat a worm, wonderful. It will do them a world of good later in life. How do you build an immune system if there's nothing there to build it?

Can't speak about lead though. My years of absorbing it have left me sluggish. Or maybe that's just getting older. 😉
 
#30
One can always do a heavy metal detox regimen if they feel that worried about it.

I'm searching (on the forum, looking through threads) for the best hand held solder holder, and these are pretty difficult to find, these days.

I have one I've been using for 20 years, and I'm afraid I'll break it one day. I can't find another that is half as good.

This one, you can hold it in your teeth, and no solder contamination. You don't get contaminated and neither does the solder.

It is the most perfect hand soldering solder holding device I've ever seen - and suspect that I'll ever see. And they don't make it anymore.

And we all here--need it. Badly.
 
#31
I have a DAC and a rice cooker that both came with a warning about lead in the power cords. Remember the back pack thing several years ago?

I think about that every time I plug in the toaster or coffee pot as I reach for my toast and peanut butter.

When I solder, I use real solder, and I wash my hands when I'm done. Just like after using any other cleaner or paint or adhesive.

I have no idea if contact with the power cords is a problem or not, but I would think most do not wash their hands between pluging in the toaster and making the rest of breakfast.

Any one know if the levels can be high enough to be an issue in plastic like the cords, or are the warnings just excessive prop 65 warnings? I know CA went after key manufacturers for lead content.
 
#33
The danger in your power cord is from when you discard the thing and that tiny amount of lead goes into a landfill. handling the power cord does not put you in contact with the lead. Aha, which is what DF just said. The lead in a power cord is in any tinning on the conductor under the insulation and any soldered termination within the mmolded plug. It contains lead, so they flag it. Not because it is a danger to touch.
 
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