Wet Drill PCBs

[Pushtone]

I've started using a spray bottle with soapy water to wet drill PCBs. This is solely to reduce exposure to harmfull glass silicate dust produced when drilling.

I use a little 8" drill press I bought for $40.00 at Canadian Tire but wet drilling could be applied to any drill tool. The key is the tub, spray bottle, and soapy water. The plastic tub contains the water and dust slurry, the wood block prevent me from drilling through the tub. And I tape down the PCB to the wood block. A couple of squirts before each hole washes the dust off the PCB and into the tub. When done, I wash out the tub.

It works so well I can say it eliminates all dust. I don't think I need the filter mask, but I wear it anyway.



Here's the best part... ..the work area stays totally clean! No dust! And my PCBs are squeaky clean to boot. 
Thats Windex spray bottle is filled with soapy water, not Windex.



When I did my first projects I drilled right on the kitchen table and exposed the family to dust. Not anymore. I only wished I had done this sooner. I also plan on wet sanding and wet drilling the Hammond boxes. How many of you have sneezed out aluminum dust after sanding. Not to mention spray paint.

[Transmogrifox]

Good tip.  Thanks for sharing--I may have to start doing this.

I have not even been wearing a dust mask...and I know I can't keep a habit of this.  I also get right down there too close with the solder fumes.  I know I should be keeping a fan going to keep the fumes dispersed.

My worst exposure to silicate dust is when I'm cutting boards into custom shapes with the rotary tool.  I think it would be a good idea to use a wet dust mask for this.  It is a very fine dust, and I think those dust masks are made for larger particles like dirt and sawdust.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

i've gotten in the habit of gently exhaling on anything i'm drilling... but this is mostly to keep my view of the progress, instead of a pile of stuff obscuring it.

really so worried about pcb dust?

[RaceDriver205]

Wet drilling PCBs has been of interest to me, more for reasons of reducing drill bit wear, but I have not done it as it would probably ruin my hand-held drill.
What are the know health issues associated with PCB dust?

[puretube]

think: asbestos...

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

No, don't thnk asbestos. There's no asbestos there.
www.acculam.com/MSDS-Siliglas.pdf

[davebungo]

No, don't think asbestos but DO think about the consequences of long term exposure to industrial materials in general (espeically where children are around) e.g. aluminium dust, fibre glass, MDF, sawdust, etc. etc. the list is endless.  Many of these materials are harmful in the long term and some are associated with other less well publicised lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis.  Just be a little bit careful, especially if you doing something over and over again.

[RaceDriver205]

To quote the document: "Inhalation of [pcb] dust during machining and grinding operations may cause moderate irritation to
mucous membranes and coughing".
To quote my understanding of asbestos: "Catch a sniff of asbestos and your totally f~@&ked"
Tube, I hope your not making asbestos PCBs   

[col]

All this talk of dust! I read a fully referenced article when I was at university which I wish I still had a copy of.  It looked at different types of dust/smoke etc from their relative components and their harfulness to humans. Cigarette smoke is more carcogenic than asbestos!!!!! Thankfully it'll be banned here in the UK next year in public places.

[puretube]

I didn`t say PCB=asbestos!

but be aware, like the dangers associated with, and widely known about asbestos,

the respiration of other fibrous material or other fine dust
can be very hazardous to your health.
(coming partly from a stone-mason family, I know what I think about!).

that .pdf file is a report about a product of that one company - not a free passport for all boards hobbyists are playing with...

and I do think, that some materials are only not listed yet, as being carcinogenic
(by one or two US organizations)...

[DDD]

Great idea!
In any case less dust = better health. Moreover, the room (kitchen, garage box etc) is cleaner.
So, why not?

[AL]

I'm with you Purtube. There are two types of asbestos: friable and non-friable. Friable is the more dangerous - initially. From the EPA website

When is asbestos a hazard?

Asbestos is not always an immediate hazard. In fact, if asbestos can be maintained in good
condition, it is recommended that it be left alone and periodic surveillance performed to monitor
its condition. It is only when asbestos containing materials (ACM) are disturbed or the materials
become damaged that it becomes a hazard. When the materials become damaged, the fibers
separate and may then become airborne. In the asbestos industry, the term 'friable' is used to
describe asbestos that can be reduced to dust by hand pressure. 'Non-friable' means asbestos that
is too hard to be reduce to dust by hand. Non-friable materials, such as transite siding and floor
tiles are not regulated provided it does not become friable. Machine grinding, sanding and
dry-buffing are ways of causing non-friable materials to become friable.

Some asbestos will break off into small, inhalable fibers. The fibers are fragemented and pointed. Think small wooden splinters. When you breath them in they lodge in your lungs and air passages. Not a pretty picture.

The water on the PCB is a very good idea. I doubt small exposure to this will have any immediate (acute) effect but long effects may be unknown and you certainly wouldn't want to be the first person to have "PCB" lung in 20 years. Small measures taken now can save possible health issues from chronic exposure.

AL

[Transmogrifox]

the respiration of other fibrous material or other fine dust
can be very hazardous to your health.
(coming partly from a stone-mason family, I know what I think about!).

I think that is the point to make here.  There's no good reason to carelessly inhale the stuff any more than occasionally.

It may be handy for us to pile together a sticky that contains links to information about health issues related to DIY electronics building--such as the effects of inhaling solder fumes, PCB dust, various epoxies and adhesives, ingestion or skin contact of etching and cleaning chemicals, etc.

I understand there may be a liability issue with such a thread, but think that posting links to credible sources in good will would be a relatively legally benign thread.

[RaceDriver205]

Yes, well its all very well to be afraid of mobile phone radiation, coz someone said its bad, but that doesnt mean it is. Ideas of dust going into the lungs being universally bad is not the case. I did some looking into this and this is some Australian government literature regarding asbestos/dust/fibreglass etc:

http://www.nohsc.gov.au/OHSInformation/NOHSCPublications/fulltext/docs/h5/04397-31.htm

I would raise your attentions to this section:
`...Pathological examination of the lungs of long-term [16-32 years] fibreglass workers, as well as determinations of the pulmonary mineral fibre content, disclosed that no discernable tissue reaction to fibreglass dust was present and that the average quantity and dimensions of the mineral fibres in the lungs of the workers were very similar to those of the mineral fibres in the lungs of a control population. Two conclusions are drawn:

• Fibreglass dust, inhaled and deposited in the lungs causes no harmful tissue reaction.
• 
  Fibreglass dust, deposited in the lungs is readily removed from the lung tissue by pulmonary clearance mechanisms...'
  

These recordings are numerous and detailed in the document. I though Id just clear this up - it seems fibreglass dust isnt an issue.

[no one ever]

Fibreglass dust, deposited in the lungs is readily removed from the lung tissue by pulmonary clearance mechanisms...'

such as coughing?

[RaceDriver205]

lol, maybe "pulmonary clearance mechanisms" is to "coughing" what "reimbursement" is to "pay back".