Soldering - is it carcinogenic?

[Lee Blaske]

Harvey wrote:

>Question - is it the lead or tin or the flux which is carcinogenic? And
>how is it carcinogenic - ingestion or inhalation of fumes during
>soldering? How much at risk are we?

Any veteran of Heathkit assembly certainly remembers getting a
nostril full of solder flux smoke. It's almost unavoidable if you
need to move in close to see what's going on.

A friend of mine manages a large commercial repair facility. At his
facility, the techs have fans blowing across their work areas to
disperse the concentration of smoke, preventing the inhalation of a
big cloud of smoke. Certainly, finding a small fan is within the
realm of possibility for all of us. Opening windows is not hard. Why
not at least minimize the risk, especially if it's cheap and easy to
do?

Of course, there'll always be those who'll want to defy death.
Darwin's natural selection will take care of them over time. ;-)

73,

Lee Blaske N0IZ

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