Solder fumes health precautions

[mr.adambeck]

So, I've known for a while that solder was toxic and bad for me, but it finally hit me yesterday that I am dealing with fumes on a much regular basis.  What precautions should I be taking?  So far, I've started placing a fan near me to blow he fumes out the window...  That's it. 

i was wondering what precautions shuld be taken and what you all are doing.  Thanks!

[DougH]

I do absolutely nothing. The flux is in the fumes, not the lead.

Wash your hands after handling it, but you should do that after working at your bench anyway, just on general hygiene principles alone.

[Heemis]

Like Doug said, I've read that the fumes are actually from the flux and don't contain anything of the lead...

Regardless, I've found that after a long day at the bench, I sometimes come away with a strange smell in my nose and a mild headache, any else ever experience this?

[ayayay!]

Okay then, what about the flux fumes then?  The last couple of times I've soldered I was getting sick from it.  Not good.  And it's RoHS stuff, not the old solder.  That was really making my stomach sour every time I inhaled it. 

[frank_p]

The thing with flux fumes is that they can cause asthma with some persons.  This is sensitisation and I think it's neurological problem (your nerves will send a not appropriate signal) .

Tone's God low cost extractor:
http://www.geocities.com/thetonegod/extract/extract.html

[davidallancole]

I feel bad after soldering a lot.  Get head aches and what not.  But thats only when I have my head close to the fumes.  Sometimes I use my teeth to hold the solder, which is stupid I know, but I try to hold my breath until I can get my face out of the solder.  That helps a bit.

[isildur100]

Sometimes I use my teeth to hold the solder

     

[cpm]

so first advice would be DON'T EAT IT!!

[sean k]

When I do alot of brazong with bronze and mild steel I always drink some milk before I do so. I would suppose it's not the thin fatless stuff but maybe that'll work too. The point is that the milk puts a lining in your stomach so the fumes don't affect you so much. Also, because of the gass welding, I've gotten into a habit of holding my breathe while I join metals together and breathing in away from the joins vicinity.

The worst stuff for me is wire brushing metals, esp copper. That leaves an awful taste in the throat so I try and wear a mask for that... if I remember.

[puretube]

Okay then, what about the flux fumes then?  The last couple of times I've soldered I was getting sick from it.  Not good.  And it's RoHS stuff, not the old solder.  That was really making my stomach sour every time I inhaled it. 

That`s the so-called "RoH-Sickness", and it can make you tired of it, too... 

[R.G.]

Rosin fumes contain a stew of organic compounds from the rosin. This is an irritant to the eyes, mucous membranes in the nose and sinuses, and trachea if inhaled, and like almost every other chemical on the planet, can cause allergies in some unlucky people.

What it doesn't have in it is much lead. 

It's worth remembering that the most poisonous substance known is botulinum toxin, which is *absolutely* natural, occurs without man's intervention in nature at all. It takes active, self-replicating materials like anthrax spores to be more deadly per unit of mass.

Of course, I guess mercury and lead are natural too. 

[Paul Marossy]

Solder fumes make me cough, but other than that, it doesn't seem to bother me at all.

[liddokun]

Yep. The fumes give me a cough that lasts for a few days, and a headache sometimes too. But nothing too long term, I hope.

[Paul Marossy]

I only get a cough after I build ten or twenty pedals at a time. Other than that, an hour of soldering doesn't even faze me.

[fpaul]

The fumes seemed to be giving me sinus infections when I was doing a lot of soldering.  I did some research and found the fumes are the number one cause of ocupational asthma.  This concerned me because my son was only 4 at the time.  I bought the cheapest fume extractor I could find.  Helps a lot but could use more air flow.  I also don't do extended soldering when my son is around. I'm out of my initial manic pedal building phase so I don't solder as much now.  I'm doing more breadboarding.  If I did more soldering, I'd get a high flow fan and vent out a window. 

[liddokun]

I only get a cough after I build ten or twenty pedals at a time. Other than that, an hour of soldering doesn't even faze me.

I guess you have a higher tolerance to it. When I work on projects, I work all day long, so it's not 1 hour of soldering though, more like 5 or 6

[amptramp]

Maybe a range hood like the ones used over stoves would provide enough extraction and would have the benefit that the hood establishes an extraction area about the size of a typical soldering surface over a workbench.

[km-r]

i used to have finger foods when soldering... now i dont, it scares me.

[Ibanezfoo]

Doesn't bother me at all though my wife sometimes complains that I smell weird after soldering for awhile.  Or weirder than usual anyway...

[earthtonesaudio]

I have little ones at home, so I never solder inside (more concerned about the hot iron than fumes or residual toxins though).  I like to solder outside on the porch.  I just make sure I'm not right on top of the work, breathing in the smoke.  The ambient airflow seems to work fine in lieu of a fan or fume extractor.  The main problem with this method is you need good weather.