Solder sniffers beware,,, lead = bad

[Stephen Cowell]

message
....

You'll likely find very little. Metallic form lead is not
dangerous, and the lead alloyed in solder even less so. Cadmium has
been out of use in dangerous form for a long many years now... decades
even.

Decades, eh? Guess the median age of the
equipment we work on in AGA...
__
Steve
..

 

[Sofie]

Dave Moore:
Soldering takes place at much too low temperature for solder to vaporize and
fume. Most "lead" problems are a result of poor hygiene..... not washing
your hands after handling circuit board and solder and BEFORE you handle
food, pick your nose or your teeth or chew on your finger nails.
Daniel Sofie

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Anyway, finally, it dawned on me that perhaps
30 years involved in electronics with a good
20 of them heavily involved in prototyping guitar
amp designs, might have taken it's toll. So I did some
research online and discovered that indeed my symptoms
just might well be those of lead poisoning.

Has your wife been making "special health drinks" for you recently?

 

[Homer J Simpson]

I remember in the good ole days when i was a kid and we used to shine up
coins with mercury............

Still alive. Maybe not smarter though.......

http://www.micom.net/oops/WomenLiveLonger1.jpg
http://www.micom.net/oops/WomenLiveLonger2.jpg
http://www.micom.net/oops/WomenLiveLonger3.jpg
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http://www.micom.net/oops/WomenLiveLonger6.jpg

 

[D from BC]

Ever lick solder? It has a metallic taste.
I'd be interested in hearing about the taste difference between tin
and lead
Or do all metals just taste metallic?
I always wash my hands after soldering, especially before eating
finger food like McDonald's burgers fries.
I've heard aluminum cookware and aluminum messes up the mind.. True or
false?
D from BC

 

[Xtrchessreal]

Damn, for almost a week I have been forgetting to
post about my recent experience. So, since
I finally remembered;

Not long ago I started noticing that when I would
play the guitar I was missing a lot of the strings.
Also I was doing weird stuff like bumping into
the edges of doorways on occasion,
instead of gracefully passing through them.
Sometimes when standing still, it would feel like
my feet were sliding apart in this kinda weird
almost spinning sensation. Sometimes numbness
in the hands.

Anyway, finally, it dawned on me that perhaps
30 years involved in electronics with a good
20 of them heavily involved in prototyping guitar
amp designs, might have taken it's toll. So I did some
research online and discovered that indeed my symptoms
just might well be those of lead poisoning.

To make a long story short, for the last couple
of months I've been munching mass quantities
of Cilantro, about 1 bunch/day.
Also I've been supplementing with selenium.

Both supposedly have chelating agents in them that
can help rid the body of metals.
Anyway, after about 2 month's of this, I am noticing
my coordination has improved immensely
when playing the guitar, and no more
weird numbness or spinning sensations as of late.

I suppose this is all a bit anecdotal, but thought I'd relay
my experience anyway FWIW.

I also read about how lead poisoning was what
made the Hat makers go mad and is where the
expression "Mad Hatter" came from.

This struck me a bit funny since my wife
and I have an animal shelter for cats. I'm
thinking about changing my screen name to
"The Mad Catter"

BTW, also I have a lot of dental fillings
starting to break lose, so I have to wonder
if some of the metal toxicity might also be
a result of mercury from crumbling amalgum.

At any rate, whatever the cause, heaping servings
of Cilantro and a supplement of selenium seem
to be keeping it in check.
I plan to look into Chlorella which also is
purported to have chelating properties.

I've done some research on this as well. Any heavy metal poisoning
will eventually find its way to the nervous system. Once there it
will stay and not be detectable in a blood test. So you have to go
with other diagnostic methods. The chelating materials will help over
a long time but metals are like sand in your shoes. You will never
get rid of it completely.

When I was about 10 my dad brought home a bottle of pure Mercury. He
showed us how cool it was on a steel plate and warned us not to touch
it. Nice of him huh?

Later when he was not home we broke into the cabinet where it was and
proceeded to play with it. "Oh cool how it beads up in your hands,
see how it pours from one hand to the other!"

We did that for several hours until all of it had dissipated or fell
on the floor etc. Vapors are supposed to worse since it gets directly
into the blood stream via your lung. Never said anything to my dad
and he was never curious about the empty bottle. Nothing ever came of
it. 30 Years later I was researching my newly diagnosed ADHD and
found that mercury poisoning is suspected as a cause. And a little
memory suddenly snapped up from my past. I made a Doc appointment and
had several viles of blood taken for a wide variety of tests but
nothing was abnormal. I took a bunch of chelating minerals and
vitamins for several months but never noticed a difference.

I may have had an acute mercury poisoning when I was 10 but over time
one incident may not be as significant. Breathing lead on a regular
basis may have more of an impact. I would think that if it were that
damaging that all kinds of safe handling practices would be
implemented even controlled. But, it would not be the first time a
known toxic substance was sold to the public without any warnings.

X

 

[The Librarian]

Damn, for almost a week I have been forgetting to
post about my recent experience. So, since
I finally remembered;

Not long ago I started noticing that when I would
play the guitar I was missing a lot of the strings.
Also I was doing weird stuff like bumping into
the edges of doorways on occasion,
instead of gracefully passing through them.
Sometimes when standing still, it would feel like
my feet were sliding apart in this kinda weird
almost spinning sensation. Sometimes numbness
in the hands.

Anyway, finally, it dawned on me that perhaps
30 years involved in electronics with a good
20 of them heavily involved in prototyping guitar
amp designs, might have taken it's toll. So I did some
research online and discovered that indeed my symptoms
just might well be those of lead poisoning.

To make a long story short, for the last couple
of months I've been munching mass quantities
of Cilantro, about 1 bunch/day.
Also I've been supplementing with selenium.

Both supposedly have chelating agents in them that
can help rid the body of metals.
Anyway, after about 2 month's of this, I am noticing
my coordination has improved immensely
when playing the guitar, and no more
weird numbness or spinning sensations as of late.

I suppose this is all a bit anecdotal, but thought I'd relay
my experience anyway FWIW.

I also read about how lead poisoning was what
made the Hat makers go mad and is where the
expression "Mad Hatter" came from.

I thought it was mercury.

This struck me a bit funny since my wife
and I have an animal shelter for cats. I'm
thinking about changing my screen name to
"The Mad Catter"

BTW, also I have a lot of dental fillings
starting to break lose, so I have to wonder
if some of the metal toxicity might also be
a result of mercury from crumbling amalgum.

At any rate, whatever the cause, heaping servings
of Cilantro and a supplement of selenium seem
to be keeping it in check.
I plan to look into Chlorella which also is
purported to have chelating properties.

bet you smell funny, like an Indian or a Mexican ;P

 

[The Librarian]

The modern version is phthalate poisoning from leaching out of plastic
packaging and bottles. I have an industrial chemist friend in the food
industry , seriously concerned about this. I am coming to agree with him.
When I was young you never saw youngsters with bottles (glass or plastic)
hanging out of their mouths all the time. Anyone would think the function of
these ubiquitous bottles of water was psychological, like baby's dummies.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

that's interesting. I swear milk tastes better.different packaged in
glass bottles.

 

[The Librarian]

Furthermore, folklore has given rise to the use of various high sulfur
foods as "chelating agents". These include onions, garlic, green foods
and sea-weeds. Sulfur supplements like MSM or NAC have also been used.
These are not actually chelating agents, as chelators involve multiple
bonds to the metal atom and these foods and supplements involve
compounds that are only mono-thiols. Cilantro has also been introduced
[3] and is present in numerous alternative medications like "PCA-Rx",
"Metal-Free" (both of which also contain ALA) and "NDF". Since no one
seems to know what chelating substances may or may not be in cilantro,
and since chelators can be dangerous due to their movement of
neurotoxic heavy-metals, they should be approached with caution. In
general Cilatro consists of an extract of Coriander fructus, being a
plant cultivated in The Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Russia.
The ingredient used by pharmacists and doctors is an etheric oil (0,5%
w/w). Main part of this oil is (+)-Linalool (60% w/v). The chemical
name of Linalool is 3,7-dimethyl-1-6-octadien-3-ol. It is also called
Coriandroleum, reflecting its origin from Coriander fructus. The
boiling point of Linalool ist 198 - 200 degrees Celsius. Other
ingredients of the oil are Limonen, Geraniol, Citronellol, and
Borneol, all having a similar chemical structure as Linalool, i.e.
they are terpenes. Another molecule present in the oil is trans-
tridecen-2-al-1 an aldehyde, being responsible for the tpical smell of
Fructus coriander (like bugs). Geraniol is the isomeric form of
Linalool and found in the oil of rose and palmarosa. The
pharmacological action of terpenes such as Linalool is mainly
spasmolytic and carminative. Similar action are known from the etheric
oils of Fructus chamomillae and Fructus foeniculi. Due to the
combintion of spasmolytic and carminative action of the terpenes heavy
metals are excreated via increasing the renal flux and the G.I. tract.
Neither Fructus coriander nor terpenes are capable of chelating heavy
metals such as mercury or lead due to the lack of sulfur, nitrogen, or
an organic acid structure within the chemical molecule. Fructus
coriander is present in Mexican salsa and can kill bacteria such as
Salmonella typhi. Similar pharmacological action are transmitted by
the oil of Carvi fructus, i.e. Carvi aethericum. Spasmolytic and
carminative acting remedies should be used carefully for
detoxification of heavy metals, because of the lack of chelating
power. If the concentration of heavy metals in the urine increases to
over 17 microgramm / gramm creatinine then the epithelium of the
promimal tubulus of the kidney might be destroyed by the heavy metal,
since it is not "detoxified " by a chelating agent. Lesions of the
epithelium are, hoewever, reversible.

 

[sparky]

Damn, for almost a week I have been forgetting to
post about my recent experience. So, since
I finally remembered;

Not long ago I started noticing that when I would
play the guitar I was missing a lot of the strings.
Also I was doing weird stuff like bumping into
the edges of doorways on occasion,
instead of gracefully passing through them.
Sometimes when standing still, it would feel like
my feet were sliding apart in this kinda weird
almost spinning sensation. Sometimes numbness
in the hands.

Anyway, finally, it dawned on me that perhaps
30 years involved in electronics with a good
20 of them heavily involved in prototyping guitar
amp designs, might have taken it's toll. So I did some
research online and discovered that indeed my symptoms
just might well be those of lead poisoning.

To make a long story short, for the last couple
of months I've been munching mass quantities
of Cilantro, about 1 bunch/day.
Also I've been supplementing with selenium.

Both supposedly have chelating agents in them that
can help rid the body of metals.
Anyway, after about 2 month's of this, I am noticing
my coordination has improved immensely
when playing the guitar, and no more
weird numbness or spinning sensations as of late.

I suppose this is all a bit anecdotal, but thought I'd relay
my experience anyway FWIW.

I also read about how lead poisoning was what
made the Hat makers go mad and is where the
expression "Mad Hatter" came from.

This struck me a bit funny since my wife
and I have an animal shelter for cats. I'm
thinking about changing my screen name to
"The Mad Catter"

BTW, also I have a lot of dental fillings
starting to break lose, so I have to wonder
if some of the metal toxicity might also be
a result of mercury from crumbling amalgum.

At any rate, whatever the cause, heaping servings
of Cilantro and a supplement of selenium seem
to be keeping it in check.
I plan to look into Chlorella which also is
purported to have chelating properties.

Before you start fooling around with dangerous selenium compounds read
this excerpt from on the the selenium compound MSDS sheets. Animals
have died from eating plants containing as little as 5 PPM of
selenium. Just recently there was a recall because some company
accidentally let sunburned potatoes be bagged and sold to the
consumer. Not nice stuff at all!

Selenium compounds are poison by inhalation and intravenous routes.
Some selenium compounds are experimental carcinogens.
Long-term exposure may be a cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in
humans, just as it may cause "blind staggers" in cattle.
Elemental Selenium has low acute systemic toxicity, but dust or fumes
can cause serious irritation of the respiratory tract. Inorganic
selenium compounds can cause dermatitis. Garlic odor of breath is a
common symptom. Pallor, nervousness, depression, digestive
disturbances and death have been reported in cases of chronic exposure
(Sax, Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, eighth
edition).

 

[Arfa Daily]

Rosin has Zinc Chloride in it... I've been poisoned with
zinc before (welding) and you need to drink milk for
the chelating calcium in it. Bad sick headache... not sure
of prolonged low-level exposure, but fume hoods are nice.
__
Steve
.

That's a new one on me. I had always understood rosin to be a fairly benign
material - at least when not heated up - made from naturally occuring pine
resin. Is the zinc chloride something that has been added in to make the
rosin suitable for some specific purpose ?

Arfa

 

[MassiveProng]

Not likely lead.
I work in the electronics manufacturing industry and have been
soldering with lead-based solder since I was a kid. Not taking any
precautions either. I got curious and got a lead test about a year
ago. It found nothing. You must really have to eat the stuff for it
to be absorbed.

Not even then. Metallic form lead is simply not that hazardous.

The "white lead" in a car battery gleans off surface molecules
pretty badly, and I wouldn't want to handle that much, and the old
lead hatters used to use got a lot of "free molecules" in their bodies
by touch, and food handling, but these modern alloys, as well as
simple bullet lead are not that big a problem... at all.

Many gun shot wound treatments have occasions where they don't
bother committing to surgery to remove the bullet. Only to patch up
the damage it did in its path to its resting point. Shotgun pellets
get left in a lot of cases as well. Our body fluids "temper" the
surface too, and then no lead gleans off, if any did to begin with.

I too have soldered for years, and for one thing, there is No lead
in the smoke that rises. That is volatized flux... PERIOD.

The melting point of lead yields no fumes that contain lead. One
would have to boil it. Now Mercury, is liquid at room temp, and has a
very low boiling point, and is VERY dangerous when boiling.

Lead alloy solders are completely safe...

RoHS sucks and is a ruse to buck up the euro dollar, and force the
world to re-tool and re-chem all their processes. Nothing more.

BIG waste of money, and I am glad I work in a segment of the
industry that is exempt.

 

[MassiveProng]

Mercury poisoning, not lead poisoning...

They ALSO suffered from lead infusion problems from the hat bands,
not merely their use of mercury with other aspects of old world style
hat making crafts.

 

[Arfa Daily]

Not likely lead.
I work in the electronics manufacturing industry and have been
soldering with lead-based solder since I was a kid. Not taking any
precautions either. I got curious and got a lead test about a year
ago. It found nothing. You must really have to eat the stuff for it
to be absorbed.


Steve Noll | The Used Hi Tech Equipment Dealer Directory:

Talking of eating the stuff ...

When I was a kid, myself and a couple of friends all had air guns, that we
used to take out with us on all day forays during the school summer
holidays. We used to buy a box of lead pellets each, and tip great wads of
them into our mouths, because it was quicker to snatch a nice
spit-lubricated reload from your mouth, than it was to rummage amongst the
fluff and half eaten jelly babies in your pockets ... We used to roll these
things around in our mouths for hours. 40 years on, I'm still here, and my
brain is still less addled than even my own ( apparently well-educated )
kids ! If lead was all that easily ingested, then my pellet activities,
coupled with living in a house with all lead water pipes for the first 21
years of my life, must have ensured that I now weigh several pounds heavier
than I really should ... !!

Arfa

 

[Arfa Daily]

Mercury in teeth fillings is a known problem ..........

With the amount of amalgam in my mouth, I reckon that I must already be two
points to the right of dead then ...

Arfa

 

[Arfa Daily]

I thought it was mercury.

bet you smell funny, like an Indian or a Mexican ;P

"Librarian" as in Unseen University ?

Arfa

 

[MassiveProng]

Mercury in teeth fillings is a known problem ..........

Only if they were placed there by an incompetent dentist.

A properly done mercury/silver amalgam filling gets over 95% of the
mercury squoze out during placement, and the rest is pretty well
trapped.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

That's a new one on me. I had always understood rosin to be a fairly
benign material - at least when not heated up - made from naturally
occuring pine resin. Is the zinc chloride something that has been added in
to make the rosin suitable for some specific purpose ?

I recall making some for a PC production line from water white rosin.

 

[Joel Kolstad]

BIG waste of money, and I am glad I work in a segment of the
industry that is exempt.

You really aren't. Sure, you might not be required to produce RoHs-compliant
products, but you'll find that already many parts are no longer available in
non-RoHs packages, requiring higher temperatures for soldering, and within a
few years here nothing will be available that isn't that way.

 

[MassiveProng]

message
...


Decades, eh? Guess the median age of the
equipment we work on in AGA...

Nickel Cadmium, a typical electronics plating media, is NOT one of
the dangerous types, and is likely the most common you'll see in older
equipment. The dangerous uses have indeed been out for a long time,
and the places where more pure bits of cadmium were used is not likely
in the gear you refer to. Certainly not on its exterior.