Should I be concerned for lead exposure? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Dyalpur
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 05:26:09 pm
content: Since I was in 9th grade about 4-5 years ago, I was kinda addicted to electronics, used a regular 60-40 solder almost every other day for 2 years straight. The problem I seldom washed my hands after soldering job!Should I be worried? I know I am not alone who did this in their teen years! Can you please help me? Heard anyone getting elevated amount of blood lead levels due to soldering?I'll be extremely thankful

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 05:46:10 pm
content: Why don't you get tested instead of posting questions on a forum where people can only give you wild guesses?However, unless you have been doing something extremely crazy (eating solder?) or soldering 24/7 while holding solder in your mouth, you are pretty unlikely to have accumulated enough lead in your system from soldering to be at a risk of poisoning after only 5 years.Even people in Flint who weredrinkinglead in their drinking water had poisoning symptoms only after years of exposure.So you are in most likelihood fine. Just wash your hands after handling solder (or pretty much anything - basic hygiene!) before eating, don't eat at your bench and you will be OK. Even people who worked in electronics production factories soldering with lead for decades didn't get poisoned by it.That Indian Youtube idiot that used mercury to solder was in a much worse danger than you.(And in case you are wondering - RoHS banning lead, cadmium, mercury and similar stuff from electronics is not because it makes people soldering with it die but because the consumer junk ends up by crapload in landfills where the heavy metals will leach out over time, contaminating water and soil.)

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 05:50:44 pm
content: This is asked frequently.By handling leaded solder wire, you are not getting practically any lead in your system, regardless of if you wash your hands or not. The amounts will be many orders of magnitude below safe maximum levels.You'd need to basically eat it, or keep the solder in Coca-Cola glass then drink that, and do that frequently.Even lead water pipes are still in use and seldom cause problems, although it's a good idea to monitor lead levels in water if such pipework is used because some water types dissolve more lead than others.Lead poisoning (even long-term) from handling metallic lead is rare and requires quite some extreme measures, like accidentally vaporizing (1749 degC) it instead of melting (328 degC) it; or accidentally dissolving it in acid then accidentally drink the solution. Lead has been widely used and still is.You can continue handling leaded solder with your bare hands and although washing hands is always recommendable, forgetting to do that won't hurt you. I'd be way more worried about BPA, for example.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 05:57:41 pm
content: It is however a *BAD* idea to desolder stuff with a solder sucker while smoking cigarettes or cigars, as solder suckers produce fine particulates, which get transferred to the surface of the cigarette or cigar by your fingers, then burnt producing fine heavy metal oxide dust, and inhaled. However smoking is pretty bad for you anyway . . .

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 06:09:44 pm
content: I agree with the previous comments. Of course, lead toxicity is of far greater concern in young children (<6 years old). If you are still concerned, a health clinic or your physician can order a blood lead test.As lead is very common in the environment, specially cleaned tubes must be used for collection.

author: Dyalpur
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 06:18:38 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on March 05, 2021, 05:46:10 pmThanks for your detailed answer!Actually the thing is, blood tests won't show anything as lead load in blood finally ends up in bones after some months.Now onwards I'll make sure to wash hands after workYeah I agree with you, Other day on youtube I saw one guy tearing apart cells of lead acid battery scattering powdery stuff all over the place, giving no importance to safety like a mask maybe.Thanks a lot dear friend!

author: Dyalpur
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 06:22:01 pm
content: Quote from: Siwastaja on March 05, 2021, 05:50:44 pmOkay SirNo I wouldn't drink such cocktail accidentlyI will make sure to wash my handsThanks a lot for your reply!

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2021, 06:39:56 pm
content: It's good to wash your hands, but it isn't like holding a piece of solder is going to "get lead on your hands" in any significant quantity, at least if you hands are dry. Acids (including flux which is mildly acidic) will dissolve lead oxide, so if your hands are wet with something acidic before handling the solder or you get flux residue on your hands that could theoretically lead to lead exposure, but most people don't lick flux residue off their hands. A bigger concern with lead solder is to properly clean up your workplace when you are done. You don't want the little droplets or scraps of solder left behind to get transferred about your house.Another concern is with anything that would create fine particulate. Regular soldering doesn't really do this, but watch out for grinding activities like using a dremel tool.

author: Terry Bites
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2021, 09:39:53 pm
content: You should worry more about the flux fumes than the lead. It's very bad for your lungs.http://blog.okinternational.com/metcal/the-health-risks-of-solder-flux-fumes

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2021, 10:27:01 pm
content: Perfect chance to link to this thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/rebuilding-lead-acid-batteries-the-street-vendor-method/

author: antenna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2021, 05:35:26 am
content: I like electronics, but admittedly, I have done more with "energetic" lead materials than soldering.That said, lead is only of particular risk to humans in water-soluble salts (like the nitrate) or organic lead compounds (like tetraethyl lead in gasoline) that can absorb into fatty tissue. As for soldering or biting lead sinkers on a fishing line, well, you would have to accidentally swallow a few dozen. I think the lead risk is when acid rain forms the nitrate and that seeps into ground water, or when lead azide incompletely detonates in blasting caps leading to a fine dispersion of a salt that does the same (on a massive scale in a highly blasted zone - which I doubt would ever amount to an issue anyway but still a talked about issue).Every solder composition is unique, but I'd be more worried about tin. Pure tin solder can form tin whiskers that destroy circuits, and that can lead to a person bashing their head into a wall years later - far more unhealthy! Sure, alloying or reflowing can minimize the risk of tin whiskers, but if you build cubesats or something you cannot readily access, I'll bet you would rather go through chelation therapy to remove the lead from your bodyI swallowed 2 lead sinkers when I was a kid because, on those occasions, some adult told me it was "dangerous" and I thought it would be fun to challenge authority not realizing the effects would not be immediate (and still aren't as far as I can admit). "Cumulative effects" was not in my dictionary at that time.. I only turned out a little messed up overall, but functional enough to tell you about itChew away! (just kidding), but certainly solder with it, that's fine. Just don't tell people you put the bad circuits in the trash

author: bobbydazzler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2021, 11:02:19 am
content: The leaded solder is fine for your health worry much more about the flux fumes and having good ventilation.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2021, 06:45:51 pm
content: Elemental lead like elemental mercury is not particularly dangerous.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2021, 08:44:05 pm
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on March 15, 2021, 06:45:51 pmPlease don't spout crap.https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1175560-overview

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2021, 11:38:16 pm
content: Quote from: Dyalpur on March 05, 2021, 06:18:38 pmThe lead ends up in your bones where it gradually is eliminated from your body. Everything I have read on the subject seems to indicate that once it gets to your bones it is essentially harmless.I would say not to worry. Occupational exposure to lead has been monitored widely. Those in the battery salvage business, who work around large molten pots of lead and are tearing down friable lead batteries full time for years have shown problems. Some plumbers who were working all the time with lead pipes have shown problems, but not the majority. And workers in electronics assembly plants, soldering all day for years have rarely shown problems, and these problems have in all cases I have read about involved really extreme hygiene problems. So your part time exposure for a few years is unlikely to have caused any real problems.Recognize that many of us older folks had many more years of exposure to this solder and more importantly, leaded gasoline. Few of us have developed problems as a result. As as young person your exposure has been dramatically lower than for those born decades before controls on lead were put in place.If you continue to worry, a blood test will be the best way to alleviate your fears. Or read the medical literature on the subject. If your read it objectively you will find that caution about exposure to lead and placing lead in the environment is definitely appropriate, but panic about exposure is not. While you are doing this note how much lead is put into the environment by each of the uses of lead. The use of lead in gasoline was an amazingly large contribution. Other paths are much smaller. Much of this literature is readily available on line. The British seem to have published more of their workplace observations than anyplace else, but information is available from all over the world.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 01:27:19 am
content: Quote from: JohnnyMalaria on March 15, 2021, 08:44:05 pmGo back and read your citation.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 01:33:01 am
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on March 16, 2021, 01:27:19 amOh, I read it thoroughly.Claiming elemental mercury isn't particularly dangerous is ridiculous. I'll pin my 30+ year career as a chemist on it.And perhaps this advice is just for shits'n'giggles?Quote

author: thermistor-guy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 02:06:05 am
content: Quote from: Dyalpur on March 05, 2021, 05:26:09 pmI've heard of people who work with stained glass developing chronic health problems, at a relatively young age (30s).

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 06:22:32 am
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on March 16, 2021, 01:27:19 amQuote

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 07:56:16 am
content: Elemental mercury may be nothing compared to some mercury compounds known to kill upon a touch, but it's still way more dangerous than elemental lead.One of the big reasons why elemental mercury is more dangerous than lead is the liquid state in room temperature, and the low boiling point of 357 degC.In other words, getting lead poisoning requires extreme levels of stupidity and negligence. For example, it doesn't typically happen even if you work somewhere melting lead ingots all day long without any protection and fail to wash your hands every day.If you try the same level of negligence when handling mercury, the risks are very significant.This is not to say not to be careful with lead.

author: antenna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 02:00:06 am
content: Quote from: Siwastaja on March 16, 2021, 07:56:16 amI'll strongly disagree with that. Mercury is not dangerous simply because it is a liquid. Mercury is a cumulative poison that has to get in your body to be a risk, but in its metallic state, very little can get in your body. You can handle it unprotected (on rare occasions) without risk imo. What you need to be worried about is its solubility in human tissue and fluid, something the metallic form is not good at. Organo-mercury compounds and inorganic (but very soluble) salts of mercury are very dangerous. Salts of mercury are (usually) very water soluble and organo-mercury compounds can dissolve in fatty tissue, both creating a rapid way into the body. Once there, you have a problem. The big question after it gets in your body (which metallic mercury isn't great at, but other forms are) is how well it crosses the blood brain barrier. If you have metallic mercury in your desk drawer, awesome. Good for you. If you have methyl mercury or mercuric chloride laying around..... well, if you don't know the risks by now, too bad. The only time you should come across a dangerous form of mercury is if you are a chemist (performing an organometallic reaction or reducing ketones and imines, usually drugs if you haven't heard of NaBH4 by now, or manufacturing high explosives). Anyone in a position to encounter a dangerous form of mercury is either well aware of the risks or outright breaking the law.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 02:48:10 am
content: Quote from: antenna on April 04, 2021, 02:00:06 amYou have completely disregarded exposure to mercury vapor which inherently accompanies exposure to the liquid form. Your downplaying the danger of elemental mercury is baffling.

author: antenna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 04:03:56 pm
content: I like when people hear "this is toxic, stay away" then spread that message without any research or experience of their own. Yes, mercury is dangerous, never said it wasn't, but when Cody's Lab home distill it from ore, can stick his entire arm in it or try walking on it, then get his mercury levels tested by a legit lab, I'll take your fear with a grain of salt (just not a heavy metal salt lol).We are taking this way off the OP's original question. Apologies.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 05:49:40 pm
content: Quote from: antenna on April 04, 2021, 04:03:56 pmDon't you understand the difference between acute and chronic exposure?

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 07:25:35 pm
content: Just stay away from things likedimethylmercury, lest you become aKaren Wetterhahn.Mercury in regular, pure metallic liquid form is relatively harmless. The vapors, less so.Organic compounds containing mercury, on the other hand, can be viciously deadly.

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 07:38:33 pm
content: Quote from: drussell on April 04, 2021, 07:25:35 pmIf you are near exposed liquid mercury then you are exposed to vapor. If you are an utter tool like that Cody idiot then, sure, you may not get exposed to Hg through the skin but you sure as hell will be inhaling the vapor.https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg46.pdfQuote

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2021, 09:35:19 pm
content: You are quoting chapter and verse from current advice on mercury. But the are literally hundreds of thousands of us who "converted" pennies to dimes, stuck our fingers into pots of mercury to feel the buoyancy effects of a very dense liquid and dozens of other interesting things without obvious health impact.I am not saying mercury is harmless, but that it is not instant disability or death in a bottle. Hatters did go mad, but had daily life long exposure. Breaking a thermometer is a much more minor hazard.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2021, 06:07:42 am
content: It's all a matter of dose, a little elemental mercury isn't going to kill you. How much does it take to cause some kind of health problems at some point down the road? That's hard to say, so I certainly wouldn't encourage making a habit of playing with the stuff or keeping open pots of it sitting around your house, but playing with a ball of it a few times isn't going to kill you. Lots of things people do isn't exactly healthy, being sedentary, over-eating, drinking excessively, etc pose a much greater health risk to the average person than mercury. Even in the old days outside of specific occupations most people just weren't exposed to much of the stuff. IIRC by far the largest amount of mercury that ends up in our bodies these days comes from eating tuna.