It's possible that I ate solder. Am I going to die?

[AudioMime]

Last night I was cleaning up my building area, and there were a few solder droplets. Ever since, I have been tasting a metal substance, so I think that my have ingested one.
Am I going to die?

[anchovie]

This is a question for a doctor. Take the solder reel with you.

[jrod]

How did you ingest a solder dropelet?

[glops]

Hopefully, you are just paranoid.  After etching and soldering I am always thinking of getting a professional respirator...

[frequencycentral]

It's bad to eat it?? Now you guys tell me.......   This should be in the FAQ.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I have had solder in my mouth before but we have the sense/lack of sense not to put lead in ours, and I decided Tin poisoning wasn't really scary enough to do anything about.

[5thumbs]

Am I going to die?

Yes.  You are going to die, but not likely anytime soon from ingesting a small bit of solder.  I would recommend letting your doctor know about this incident upon your next visit.  It would probably be helpful to your doctor if you had an idea of the size of the solder bit ingested in terms of mass/weight, that might help them record/research/treat any potential side effects from a dose of that size.

This is part of the reason I've banished food & drink from my soldering table.  (The others were spills -and- handling food containers with solder-contaminated hands without washing first.)  By keeping my laptop and all food/drink on my nearby desk and away from my workbench, it reminds me to wash my hands after soldering and before I use the computer or eat/drink.

Good luck!

[Mark Hammer]

Prolonged exposure to, and absorption of, lead, is definitely NOT good for anyone with a nervous system.  However, one chunk is not prolonged exposure.  This is not like exposure to radioactive material.  Moreover, the little bead is highly unlikely to be broken down in your stomach and fully absorbed. 

If I were you, I'd be more concerned about any possible jagged edges scoring the inside of your gut.  Thankfully, it will makes its way to the exit happily surrounded by lots of other material, which can keep it safely away from your intestinal walls.

[Paul Marossy]

How did you ingest a solder dropelet?

That's what I was wondering. I would definitely know if a blob of solder somehow made its way into my mouth.

Lead is not good for you, but mercury is far more poisonous. I don't think that you need to worry, I'm sure there is an explanation for that metallic taste. Maybe you have a leaking silver filling or something.

[jacobyjd]

Blood tastes kinda metallic. Any vampiric tendencies lately?

...been chewing on your burst box coils?

[MikeH]

Only one way to be sure if you ingested a solder blob... and it ain't pretty.  Ever panned for gold?

[Ronsonic]

The only cure is the swallow some flux.

We'll get to the soldering iron and where it goes later.   

[head_spaz]

How many times do I have to say it?

LOOK OUT YOU'SE KIDS... DON'T PUT YER LIPS ON IT!!!

[frequencycentral]

So, a friend of mine likes to repeatedly lick and kiss the solder side of his particularly neat perf builds. Is he in any danger of poisoning?

[MikeH]

So, a friend of mine likes to repeatedly lick and kiss the solder side of his particularly neat perf builds. Is he in any danger of poisoning?

Sounds like the least of his worries... 

[Quackzed]

i eat solder all the time, its good. and i feel... i feell ... i ffeeee feeeehhhh    ehhhhh.... *gasp* ... *cough*   ...      
X X
()
i think you'll probably live. just cut down to one spool a day.
 

[amptramp]

If you have ingested solder, it will probably not dissolve in stomach acid to any great extent.  But do not eat anything with vinegar in it because the solder will dissolvein the acetic acid to become lead acetate which is absorbed easily.  As for lead-free solders, some of them are far more toxic than lead - tin solder, particularly the ones with antimony in them.

[MikeH]

I have had solder in my mouth before but we have the sense/lack of sense not to put lead in ours, and I decided Tin poisoning wasn't really scary enough to do anything about.

If you have ingested solder, it will probably not dissolve in stomach acid to any great extent.  But do not eat anything with vinegar in it because the solder will dissolvein the acetic acid to become lead acetate which is absorbed easily.  As for lead-free solders, some of them are far more toxic than lead - tin solder, particularly the ones with antimony in them.

Uh oh!

[isildur100]

Am I going to die?

Yes. But not likely because of that... 

[Dan N]

The Romans were big on lead intake.

Keep a happy thought, maybe you'll just go mad.