Is the solder in the soldering iron toxic?[Copy link]
01Is the solder used in a soldering iron toxic?
One netizen complained that he had been using a soldering iron in a PCB factory for a year and felt uncomfortable and his abdomen was a little bloated. Is solder toxic? Will it cause lead poisoning?In fact, this depends on whether the solder wire used in the soldering iron is leaded or lead-free, and blood lead levels need to be checked regularly. If it does not exceed the standard, there will be no problem at all. Is solder toxic?Normally speaking, if protection and raw material procurement are carried out in accordance with national standards, soldering will not cause significant damage.Lead-free products are now basically used.Lead is a toxic substance. Excessive absorption by the human body can cause lead poisoning. Low doses may affect a person's intelligence, nervous system, and reproductive system. The alloy of tin and lead is commonly used solder. It has good metal conductivity and a low melting point, so it has been used in welding processes for a long time. Its toxicity mainly comes from lead. The lead fume produced by solder can easily lead to lead poisoning.Metallic lead may produce lead compounds, all of which are classified as hazardous substances. In the human body, lead affects the central nervous system and kidneys. The environmental toxicity of lead to some organisms has been widely confirmed.When the blood lead concentration reaches 10μg/dl or above, sensitive biochemical effects will occur. If long-term exposure causes the blood lead concentration to exceed 60~70μg/dl, clinical lead poisoning will occur.Materials containing lead are definitely toxic. Let’s not talk about whether solder has a big impact on the body. Even ordinary metals can cause poisoning if consumed in excess. When soldering, smoke will appear, which contains an element that is harmful to the body.It is best to wear a mask when working, but it will still have some impact. Of course, if you can use lead-free solder wire, it will be much safer than lead-containing solder.
02Is lead-free solder toxic?
Solder wire is a material used for soldering with an electric soldering iron. Although its main component is tin, it also contains other metals. It is mainly divided into leaded and lead-free (i.e. environmentally friendly).
With the introduction of the EU ROHS standard, more and more PCB welding factories are choosing lead-free and environmentally friendly products. Lead solder wire is also being replaced slowly. If it is not environmentally friendly, it cannot be exported. Lead-free solder paste, lead-free solder wire, and lead-free solder bar are the main products on the market.In simple terms:The commonly used solder has a low melting point and contains about 60% lead and 40% tin, so the solder itself is toxic. Most of the solder on the market is hollow and contains rosin, so the gas you mentioned is probably volatilized when the rosin in the solder melts during welding.The gas volatilized from rosin is also slightly toxic and smells bad. The main hazard of soldering is lead fume, even lead-free solder contains a certain amount of lead.The limit value of lead fume in GBZ2-2002 is very low, and it is very toxic, so special protection is required. Due to the damage to the human body and the environment during welding, the protection of welders and the environment has been enforced in the form of legislation in Europe, and welding is not allowed without any protective measures.
The ISO14000 standard has clear provisions for the treatment and prevention of pollution generated in the production process.Tin contains lead. In the past, lead in solder wire classified soldering as an occupational hazard (in the national occupational disease catalogue);
Nowadays, most of our companies use lead-free solder wire, the main component of which is tin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures tin dioxide, which is not included in the national list of occupational diseases.Generally speaking, the lead fume of lead-free process will not exceed the standard, but soldering still has other hazards. For example, flux (rosin-like substances) has certain hazards. It depends on the specific situation.
Employees can usually check the labels on the tin they are distributed to see what category it belongs to. This way they can have evidence to verify and ask the company to make corrections (they can also give their opinions to the factory’s internal labor union).If the tin used is leaded, it is definitely harmful to the body. Over time, they accumulate in the body and cause great damage to the nervous system and immune system.Lead-free solder wire is environmentally friendly, but it is also harmful to the human body. The low lead content of lead-free solder wire does not mean that it is lead-free. Compared with lead-containing solder wire, lead-free solder wire causes less pollution to the environment and human body.
The gases produced during soldering are toxic, including rosin oil, zinc chloride and other gas vapors.I have an experience, I don't know if you have the same experience, that is, lead tin is easier to solder, but lead-free tin is more difficult to solder!
03How to prevent the toxicity of solder wire from electric soldering irons
First of all, PCB factories should use ROHS tin wire when soldering components with electric soldering irons, and take precautions:
For example, wearing gloves, masks or gas masks, paying attention to ventilation in the workplace, having a good exhaust system, cleaning after work, and drinking milk can also prevent the toxicity of lead in solder.1. Take a break for a while: Generally, you should rest for about 15 minutes every hour to relieve fatigue, because your resistance is weakest when you are tired.2. Smoke less and drink more water so that you can eliminate most of the harmful substances absorbed during the day.3. Drinking mung bean soup or honey water before going to bed can reduce internal heat and help your mood. Mung beans and honey can also eliminate the large amount of lead and radiation absorbed.4. Avoid radiation as much as possible, use the telephone more and PHS less, and use the mobile phone when you cannot go out.5. Make the soldering iron brighter and try to use a PPD soldering tip. This way, when the temperature reaches a certain level, you can use less soldering oil and rosin to reduce the harm to your body.6. When the soldering oil and solder are smoking, try to tilt your head to the side and hold your breath when brushing the ceiling with water.7. Use less thinner and more alcohol. The effect will be similar if you brush with alcohol for a longer time.8. Wash your hands thoroughly.9. Take a shower before going to bed and try to go to bed early and get up early to ensure adequate sleep. As long as you sleep well, impurities can basically be discharged from the body.10. Wear a mask when working.
Lead-free solder wire is environmentally friendly, but it is also harmful to the human body. The low lead content of lead-free solder wire does not mean that it is lead-free. Compared with lead-containing solder wire, lead-free solder wire causes less pollution to the environment and human body.
When the company conducted an environmental assessment, it was necessary to add an air suction device to the welding station. This shows that harmful gases are still produced during welding.
Even with traditional lead-containing solder and the use of highly volatile flux, frontline workers who have been in contact with it for a long time have never observed any noticeable damage to their bodies. This can be seen over a period of hundreds of years and at least tens of millions of samples. The extreme environmental protection of the white leftists and old Europeans is actually mainly for the need of "political correctness". From a scientific point of view, the main harm of traditional lead-containing solder is that after the electronic products are scrapped and enter the environment, the lead in the solder is converted into soluble lead ions in the natural environment, and then diffused through water and soil, and finally enriched in the human body through the food chain, thus causing long-term harm. Once this harm occurs, it is completely impossible to control it. Therefore, it is more in the interests of old Europeans to block it from the source, so there is legislation for lead-free solder.
If you understand the reason, you should know that even if you work with lead-containing solder for a long time, the damage to your body can be completely ignored. After all, no one will eat solder. This can also be directly proved by checking the relationship between the time curve of blood lead content and work. As the saying goes, "talking about toxicity without talking about dosage is just hooliganism." Worrying about "electromagnetic radiation" and "lead solder" is completely unreasonable, and "worrying" itself is harmful. The more you worry, the greater the harm.
By the way, the things mentioned in the OP's post about what to eat and drink to excrete lead and absorb radiation are pure nonsense and completely pseudoscience.
WYoung posted on 2021-12-14 16:51 The previous lead-containing solder contained heavy metal lead, which was quite harmful. Now it is all lead-free solder.
However, I still always feel insecure. Maybe my psychological effect is not without reason.
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