lead poisoning from soldering? anyone done any research

[rockgardenlove]

The lead in solder is not in a form that is easily absorbed by the human body, even as the oxide that forms on the outside of the solder. I have carried three pellets of lead in my own personal body in the form of shotgun pellets since I was six months old, due to an incident in an accidental fire. That's enough lead to kill me if it were in an organically active form. As lead pellets, it's been benign to me.

Being shot at 6 months old!
Am I the only one who's tempted to be intrusive and ask for more info?

Anyways, I think it's pretty much alright.  I don't worry about it too much, I wash my hands and put stuff away and I think that's enough.

Those fumes from the rosin can sure do things to your head though.   

[GibsonGM]

...another example of Cost/Benefit Analysis.  Many, many of the things we do (driving, for example), the substances we use (solder,bleach, laundry soap, gasoline, hair spray, etc) and the place we go (trip to the Middle East, anyone?) carry some form of "risk" along with their enjoyable qualities.  We trade off, and accept some small risk in order to enjoy the benefits of the activity.  Making the risk smaller is what it's all about in the end.

In my environmental scientist days, we subjected many of the chemical exposures to *Excessive Lifetime Cancer Risk Analysis*.  The pertinent point is the nothing is safe, there is a percentage of risk assigned to any activity. Logic and research will tell us an approximation of that risk.  Soldering is *not* entirely safe, nor is doing your laundry.  Since doing laundry is very common, we FEEL safe from having done it so often.  By not handling food or touching your mouth after touching solder, and not breathing the fumes emitted during the soldering process, the risk of any problem is hugely decreased.  The heat of the iron becomes the greatest risk at that point.  The fan was a great idea    Plugging in the iron could electrocute us...so we learn to do it carefully, the right way.  Just like adding bleach to some clothes we want to ruin...   

As R.G. stated, finding out all we can about an activity and engaging in it with opened eyes is the best way to minimize risks and receive the full benefits.  Good topic, as was the one about safe disposal of PC Board etchants!

[zachary vex]

i was at an art opening last night for Chris Larson, who had some pieces similar to the shotgun paintings that William S. Burroughs did years ago.   i remarked to a woman that there were so many pellet holes in the pieces that i couldn't imagine cleaning a bird shot with that many bits of lead, and she said "haven't you ever eaten pheasant?  you end up picking lead shot out of your teeth."

people eat lead all the time in pellet form.  if it was a serious issue for adults, we'd see lots of articles about it online.  apparently it's not as dangerous in that form... my suggestion is to do what it says on the lead solder packaging... wash hands before smoking or eating (or handling babies), and use an exhaust fan or filter fan to eliminate the formaldehyde poisoning from the rosin.  if you solder every day, you'll watch the carbon foam filter on your filter fan turn crusty and hard with the white chemicals that were once going into your lungs.

[R.G.]

if you solder every day, you'll watch the carbon foam filter on your filter fan turn crusty and hard with the white chemicals that were once going into your lungs.

For a real treat, sometimes let a goodly bit of your drinking water all evaporate and look at the crusty, hard white chemicals that you are drinking.

I collect rainwater in a tank and bubble ozone through it; then I filter it through 20micron, 1micron and carbon filters, then nuke it with germicidal UV before we drink it.

But that's just me... 

[RaceDriver205]

if you solder every day, you'll watch the carbon foam filter on your filter fan turn crusty and hard with the white chemicals that were once going into your lungs.

He's right. I say we start a campaign urging people not to breath, for the sake of their health. (joking)

[Ronsonic]

if you solder every day, you'll watch the carbon foam filter on your filter fan turn crusty and hard with the white chemicals that were once going into your lungs.

For a real treat, sometimes let a goodly bit of your drinking water all evaporate and look at the crusty, hard white chemicals that you are drinking.

I collect rainwater in a tank and bubble ozone through it; then I filter it through 20micron, 1micron and carbon filters, then nuke it with germicidal UV before we drink it.

But that's just me... 

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.

General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.

General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?

General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.

General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.

General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.

General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.

Ron

[MikeH]

In my environmental scientist days, we subjected many of the chemical exposures to *Excessive Lifetime Cancer Risk Analysis*. 

I know all about this; I was in the enviromental consulting business for a few years.  Where did you work out of?  A collegue of mine was in the business for 5 years, when he got his exit physical the lead levels in his blood were through the roof.  That stuff is out there...

[GibsonGM]

I worked for an engineering firm in MA, Mike.  Did a couple of years, but it was pretty disheartening, LOL.  The work was fantastic; but I really didn't enjoy the office politics, budget bickering and plain ol' waste of time and money the projects sometimes involved.  You know...milking the rich clients, hustling thru the poor ones...somehow we were always "totally done, all set, in compliance" right at the point the budget ran out!  What a coincidence, ha ha.  I had to sign confidentiality agreements, so I can't complain much more about it     Did learn some useful skills there, though! 

Working with petroleum will raise your lead levels, it's still in the ground from the pre-80's mix.  I once took a hit of Beryllium...it was naturally-occuring in subsurface rock, and we created dust while drilling monitoring wells...never would have thought there was a risk of THAT, but goes to show, you never really know!

[R.G.]

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.

Tee-hee. Precious bodily fluids, indeed. There aren't many of us that remember that.

I liked "Check contents of survival kit... one hundred dollars in gold; one hundred dollars in rubles; one issue nylon stockings; one issue prophylactics... Shoot fellas, a guy could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

I should probably mention that the process is making a silk purse out of a sow's ear situation. The only other available water is ground water with high calcium and manganese, some iron, hygrogen sulphide, and other things in it. It's actually cheaper and more efficient to capture and process rainwater than it is to make the well water even acceptable to drink.

It's a side effect that the water from the tap tastes better than bottled spring water. You wind up with a premium product for less effort.

[MikeH]

Did a couple of years, but it was pretty disheartening, LOL.  The work was fantastic; but I really didn't enjoy the office politics, budget bickering and plain ol' waste of time and money the projects sometimes involved.  You know...milking the rich clients, hustling thru the poor ones...somehow we were always "totally done, all set, in compliance" right at the point the budget ran out!  What a coincidence, ha ha.  I had to sign confidentiality agreements, so I can't complain much more about it     

I would have described my experience as a consultant with the exact same words- to the very letter!

I worked out of Detroit mostly.  Plenty of work (polution) there, but no money to get it done.

[johnnymarijuana]

This is my first experience with solder and I had a problem.
I bought the 40 lead/60 tin off the internet because I've read that non-lead solder is not too good to use in most projects and I don't have a really hot iron for the other kinds of lead-free solder.
I ordered a bunch of health supplements at the same time with the 40/60 solder which I did not expect that the company I ordered from would combine the health supplement bottles with the solder package in the same box.
When I got the box of items I could immediately notice the scent of metal right away... while it was still in it's packaging.
I've never been this close to actual lead solder before but it stunk up my house coming out of the box and was kind of overwhelming while I had to figure a place to put it until I can use the solder, so I put it on the back porch (which is close to my bedroom) in another box (still sealed in it's packaging).
Then I woke up randomly and couldn't sleep that night for some reason... I had lot of trouble getting back to sleep.
I called poison control and asked them if it would be safe to eat the health supplements even though the outside of the bottles smelled like the solder. They stated that as long as all the products were in sealed packages that I should be fine but I am still kind of terrified.
I still don't exactly 'buy it' but I guess it would be safe even though no amount of lead is supposed to be safe for ingestion.

[reddesert]

Lead doesn't smell. The stuff you smell when soldering is most likely the rosin core flux burning off. I think you are smelling something in the packaging.

[Jdansti]

^Agree. You can't smell substances that are not in vapor form or give off vapors at room temp. You'd have to get the temp of the solder way above the temp of your soldering iron to vaporize the metals in solder. The only thing about solder that smells is the rosin when it vaporizes. I've never been able to smell the rosin core of a roll of solder before hitting it with the soldering iron, but maybe someone with a sensitive nose can.  An open container of liquid rosin or a rosin pen does have an odor, though. As red said, maybe you're smelling the packaging. Another possibility is the shipper spilled something in the package and you're smelling the residue.

[robthequiet]

As idlechatterbox said, it's good to keep the smoke out. In the DIY spirit, I have seen devices made from inline vent fans and clothes-dryer flexible hose to positively vent the fumes to the outside. I usually crack a window if possible, weather permitting. As far as kids go, childproof caps on household chemicals don't always work, word to the wise.

[R.G.]

When I got the box of items I could immediately notice the scent of metal right away... while it was still in it's packaging.

Lead does not have a perceptible smell. It is far, far more likely that you were smelling the packing materials and/or health supplements themselves than the lead in the tin.

I've never been this close to actual lead solder before but it stunk up my house coming out of the box and was kind of overwhelming while I had to figure a place to put it until I can use the solder, so I put it on the back porch (which is close to my bedroom) in another box (still sealed in it's packaging).
Then I woke up randomly and couldn't sleep that night for some reason... I had lot of trouble getting back to sleep.

Please don't take this as a criticism aimed at you; rather take it as an indication of how very polarized our society has become in making political issues out of scientific facts. Your reaction is entirely consistent with an emotional response to receiving a package of deadly poison that could creep out of its package and kill your in your sleep. The fact is, lead solder can't do that. It can't even leap out and kill you while you're working with it. Lead was outlawed in solder because of the zillions of electronics devices that are used for a while, then dumped into landfills. The conversion of lead to oxides and then to organometallic complexes there can lead to poisoning of groundwater in a way that DOES  cause lead poisoning. But there is a segment of society that tries to acheive political control by formenting environmental panic with whatever real or imagined tidbits they can get hold of. There is a huge amount of popular comment designed to terrify you at the thought of insidious poisons creeping in to kill you. Unless you are skilled at biochemistry and epidemiology yourself, you have no real defense against this conditioning to panic.

I called poison control and asked them if it would be safe to eat the health supplements even though the outside of the bottles smelled like the solder. They stated that as long as all the products were in sealed packages that I should be fine but I am still kind of terrified.

Terrorism takes many forms. One form is causing mental panic. The more people who panic and fear that they're being poisoned, the easier it is to push them into all kinds of things.

I still don't exactly 'buy it' but I guess it would be safe even though no amount of lead is supposed to be safe for ingestion.

Good. I congratulate you on being able to listen to reason and deal with the conditioned fears. You've been taught not to buy it, and to think that you're being poisoned and slowly killed by [insert pseudoscientific fear campaign here].

Let me suggest something that is far, far more productive in terms of dealing any real lead (and/or other) poisoning. Get on the internet and find the analysis of the contaminants in your city's water. They post that stuff; I believe they're required to. If there's lead in that, then Houston, we have a problem. You don't happen to live in Flint Michigan, do you? That's one illustration of how bad it gets.

Another real, proactive step you can take is to have your primary care physician test your blood for lead and other insidious contaminants. That will tell you whether you have an immediate threat, just from living where you live.

But no, a roll of tin-lead solder is not your problem. It's not likely to ever be, given that you don't eat the stuff. Or drink landfill-effluvia groundwater.

[GibsonGM]

In my former life I was a qualified environmental scientist, R.G.  I couldn't have said it better. 

Don't breathe the fumes that come off when you heat it with your iron (most of that is likely flux, just poo you shouldn't take in).  A fan to blow it away/suck it up is great (I hold my breath).    Wash your hands when you're done; don't put solder in your mouth.   All set. 

Think of the environmental lead due to the historical use of gasoline additives, LOL!  Lead is just a metal; it is inert.  Take the same steps you'd do for a toddler (don't eat it), and you will not be harmed.   The particles that erode off tires on the highway probably present a much greater hazard than a roll of solder.   You would have to be running your own assembly line 8 hrs./day consistently before you'd need to be concerned.

On side note, I'm now a restoration house painter (15 yrs). I deal with lead paint all the time. I scrape it and hand-sand it.  I take SOME precautions, but not really as many as I should, being sole proprietor and not having to explain to OSHA (my decon probably leaves something to be desired).    My lead level barely registers, and is nowhere remotely near the level where you must take action.

Think of everything you've been told about lead paint...it's a real hazard, sure, but not eating it, power sanding it, melting and ingesting/inhaling it goes a LONG way toward mitigating that.  Hazards are relative, and must be dealt with in proportion to their actual power to harm us.   

[reddesert]

There are real environmental health hazards and I believe it's important to mitigate them. Overreacting to things that sound bad, but actually have little effect, makes it more difficult for the public to understand and evaluate genuine hazards.

I hope it's not snide to point this out, but there is essentially no regulation of health or dietary supplements (in part due to the efforts of the supplement industry); far less than food or medicine. Consuming those supplements, one is reliant upon the consciences of the companies that made them for safety. IOW, it's worth doing at least as much research on the supplements in that box, as on the solder.