🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2b0a35e8.4a6b@grace.cri.nz>, srgxnbs@grace.cri.nz writes:
>>From: kehoe@netcom.com (Thomas David Kehoe)
>>Subj: Is lead solder bad for me?
>>Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 17:55:50 GMT
>>
>>Will I get lead poisoning from breathing the smoke
>>from solder?  I work next to an open window, and leave
>>the soldering iron on the window sill, but when I'm
>>doing close soldering work, I can't avoid breathing
>>the smoke form the solder.
>>
(stuff deleted)
>>
>>I've switched to lead-free solder, which is 97% tin and
>>3% silver (available at Radio Shack).  The label still
>>says to avoid breathing the smoke.  Why doesn't everyone
>>use th
> 
> I had an article a long time ago that claimed a correlation between 
> soldering and asthma (I'm mildly asthmatic and I do react). The 
> article blamed the _flux_ and recommended ventilation, I use a small 
> fan to blow the vapour away, works ok.

Some years ago I had a student here who was going to help out with some wiring. 
It turned out he had a severe asthma attack from the flux fumes whenever he
tried to do any soldering.  I also had someone react badly to the fumes from GC
contact cleaner, when he spilled a little.  This was the liquid stuff which GC
used to sell in a small bottle.  Yes, electronics chemicals can cause problems,
even to hobbyists.  There has been a lot of discussion of these dangers in the
art world, but but not as much in the electronics hobby world.

Then there was the time someone sat on the soldering iron I was using :-( .
> 
>>-- 
>>"Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out
>>they are another's." - Susannah Martin, hanged for witchcraft, 1692.
>>Thomas David Kehoe          kehoe@netcom.com         (408) 354-5926
-- 
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