Fear of Lead

[TheOCDengineer]

Hi Everyone

I have a irrational fear of lead, more importantly lead soldering. It started after I worked in an electronic lab that the soldering was not well controlled and my lead blood level came back high. I since left that job and my levels returned to normal. Since then I have not been able to work on any electronics or wanted to do any soldering. Recently I started going to a pinball bar and have been having a good time playing the games. As a hobby I also shoot commericals for local businesses and decided to do one for the bar. When I went to go film it they were working on a boards and I just said sorry I have a fear of lead and could no longer do the video. Since then I have not be able to go back out of fear, has anyone had a similar experience or way to get over it?

[JacobPilsen]

Wash your hands after soldering.
Thread: Question About Soldering Technique

[sleemanj]

This is beyond simple worry about lead contact, you declined a job because *other* people were working on electronics.

You have an irrational fear, aka phobia, see a psychologist. 

[tautech]

Yes it's irrational and OTT.

From another era when plumbers worked with lead, at breaks they never ate the corner of the sandwich where they held it to minimise their intake of lead. Simple precautions like washing hands ............

[Old Printer]

I grew up as the third generation of the family printing business that dated to 1918. We used lead to make cast lines of printing type (Linotype). The controls associated with the lead processes were little to none. We were a very small shop, a few family members and fewer employees, and most of the disregard for the dangers of lead were just ignorance and lack of awareness at the time. By the time lead became such a well known hazard it had been pretty much phased out of the business. That said, my grandfather, grandmother, father, uncle and myself spent our lives surrounded by lead. We handled it daily, cut it, melted it, recast it and ate our lunch next to it. We all should have turned into a bunch of mad hatters by the time we were 30. The fact of it is that I am a very health 65 year old and the rest of my family lived into their mid 80's to 90 and died of the usual health related causes, heart disease, copd from smoking, or just old age. This is not to minimize the hazards of lead! It is very poisonous to developing children, and I am sure that some adults are very much affected by it. My family seemed pretty much immune to it, and we knew quite a few fellow printers that worked their lives in similar situations and I know of none that had any lead health related issues. Others may have greatly different experience, but from my personal experience where the exposure was primarily through the skin from handling lead, it has been a non-issue. I am aware that breathing vaporized lead is likely a different situation, but if reasonable caution is used I think the adult exposure to lead issue has been a bit overblown.

[SeanB]

Most exposure to lead comes from breathing the dust from cars that used TE lead in the fuel, and a lot more if you happen to live in Flint MI, where the elected council members should be forced to drink the water they said was safe exclusively, or from living near old mines and drinking groundwater. The lead exposure from soldering is so little that you probably are more likely to have an elevated level than from the actual soldering, unless you are one of those who use teeth to hold solder, and also chew gum at the same time, plus eat your meals at the bench using the solder blackened hands to eat with, washing your hands with the orange juice as well before drinking it.

Yes the lead fear is a phobia, especially as almost all solder these days is lead free as well, with the lead content being close to zero as well.

[Macbeth]

I am aware that breathing vaporized lead is likely a different situation, but if reasonable caution is used I think the adult exposure to lead issue has been a bit overblown.

Breathing any substance with a boiling point of 1749 °C would suggest you would be dead way before you even got to inhale this noxious heavy metal gas.

It's the flux that is considered poisonous. There is no lead in flux fumes.

The OP does state that the lead fear is irrational. I can only suggest CBT techniques to overcome the utterly bizarre fear. This should be an easier phobia to overcome compared to more common ones like Arachnophobia, Agorophobia, Islamophobia  ...

[IanMacdonald]

You can always use lead free solder. Just don't expect as good a joint! Although, vintage gear like pin tables will have leaded solder, and you cannot mix the two. (Doing so gives even worse results than the lead-free variety on its own)

I think we need to keep these things in perspective. There is a whole industry centered around hyping 'pollution' risks completely out of proportion. For example, many medical facilities are no longer allowed to use mercury thermometers because if anyone were to drop one on the floor they would literally have to call out a response team in hazmat suits to 'decontaminate' the place. Which, is a crazy overreaction. Mercury is somewhat toxic, but not THAT toxic.

Most 'heavy metals' are moderately toxic if ingested, but some commonsense needs to be applied over this. The main risk is from inhaling vapour or ingesting soluble salts, the metallic form of most being relatively insoluble.  Mercury gives off vapour at temperatures not much above room temp, but lead's boiling point of 1749 °C is too high  for any significant vapour to be released at soldering temperatures of 300 °C  or so.

In the era of top hats, hatters were using mercury vapour (in the open air of the room) to put a sheen on the cloth. When you think about the levels they were exposing themselves to, it's hardly surprising they developed brain damage. 

The Romans actually used a lead salt to sweeten wine.    Seemingly they didn't know of lead's toxicity, or that soluble salts are the most poisonous form of the substance.  It's fairly obvious that they didn't drop down like flies from drinking it, or else the connection would have been made and the practice stopped. Though, it has been suggested that some of the behaviours shown by Roman emperors was symptomatic of lead poisoning. I think this underlines the fact that it IS toxic, but that minute levels are not going to be an issue.

Victorian houses used lead plumbing, as did the Romans. Seemingly this doesn't present any health risk so long as the water isn't acidic.

As for soldering, these days I'm careful not to lick my fingers or handle food without washing my hands first. I think that's sensible. I also use a fume extractor, but that's mainly because I'm sensitive to the rosin smoke. I use leaded solder unless I'm repairing kit that has lead-free in it.

HTH.

[bson]

There are no lead fumes from soldering, but flux, solvents, paints, and such may exist and become volatile - and definitely should not be inhaled so ventilation is a good idea.  Most irritants are also removable with an activated carbon filter and a small Hakko tabletop fan-filter works fine from personal experience.  (They're irritants because they sticky and reactive.  Even a plain air filter would probably remove them.) I always wipe clean PCBs with 99.9% IPA before soldering or pasting - a good habit that never hurts and at the absolute worst makes no difference.

Other than that, wash your hands, and not just because of lead concerns... it's simply a good habit.

Lead paint is a problem because many lead based paint pigments taste sweet causing children to eat it - and many of the pigment alloys are also highly bioavailable.  (Unlike pure solid or liquid lead, or mixed with tin.)

[rhb]

There is a minor amount of lead vapor from soldering . The vapor pressure of lead at the melting point  of traditional solder is small, but non-zero.  Everything else is a greater hazard.

The main thing is simply wash your hands before eating.  I'm amused when I see people using hand sanitiizer before eating instead of washing as it does not remove anything.  All it does is kill bacteria.  It's not a substitute for washing your hands.  I *never* eat without washing my hands unless I am unable to wash. In which case I make sure I don't touch the food.

I routinely clean the steering wheel and gearshift lever in my pickup.  I have to handle weed killer and various other toxic substances.  I wear nitirile gloves, but I sweat so much that I could never notice a splash of weed killer.  Every time I raise my hand above my elbow, sweat runs down my arm.  So I assume that the truck controls are contaminated.

I am certain that the OP's prior experience was the result of not paying  attention to what had been touched.  If the OP makes a point of always being aware of what has been touched since the last hand washing, the fear will go away.  I grew up in a restaurant.  When I am cooking, I wash my hands every few minutes with soap and water.  It's reflexive.  I do the same if I am handling potentially dangerous materials whether I have definite knowledge or just suspect a hazard..  Washing your hands is cheap, easy and a very valuable protection against accidental poisoning.

[mrpackethead]

I like to put a good dollop of lead based solder paste on my toast in the morning, as a butter substitute..   Its better for you than collestrol.

[hermit]

I worked in an electronic lab that the soldering was not well controlled and my lead blood level came back high.

You earned the right to your 'irrational' fear.    But no one is going to be able to use logic to convince you because by definition, irrational is irrational.

[BrianHG]

It started after I worked in an electronic lab that the soldering was not well controlled and my lead blood level came back high.

If it was a fluke lemon test at the time, there is nothing we can say which would get rid of that fear completely.
However, if the elevated lead at the time didn't actually come from you electronics work, you may still have access to a real problem.  What if that high lead level actually came from contaminated food or water?  Are you still occasionally being exposed?  Is anyone else in your family being exposed too?

I would say, find out which test was used on your blood and what it's accuracy is.  Some tests may give false positives.
Get yourself re-tested again.

Now, if you soldered in the past and without washing your hands, also ate snacks at the same time, this is a bad idea.

[james_s]

Since you acknowledge that the fear is irrational, I suggest seeing a mental health professional rather than an engineering forum. We can tell you the rational answer that there is no need to fear lead, simply don't eat solder and wash your hands well after handling it. If you are really paranoid wear latex gloves and remove them before touching your face, handling food, etc. It won't make any difference hearing a rational answer though as long as you have an irrational fear. We probably can't help you with that.

[mrpackethead]

Since you acknowledge that the fear is irrational, I suggest seeing a mental health professional rather than an engineering forum. We can tell you the rational answer that there is no need to fear lead, simply don't eat solder and wash your hands well after handling it. If you are really paranoid wear latex gloves and remove them before touching your face, handling food, etc. It won't make any difference hearing a rational answer though as long as you have an irrational fear. We probably can't help you with that.

Engineers can fix anythign buddy. Lead phobias and all.      Eating lead solder is yummy.   You can use it were you would have used sauce..   You need to find a flux that you like though. some of them are a bit odd.  It works well with chicken.
me thinks this is not a real thread, but if it is, i'm sorry in advance.

[Flappy]

If your soldering iron is hot enough to boil the lead and produce lead fumes, you've probably got the temperature too high. 

[Richard Crowley]

The boiling point of lead is 1749 °C (3180 °F). A soldering iron that hot will burn your hand off.
It seems unlikely that any kind of logical, scientific evidence can compete with an irrational phobia.

[ivaylo]

Yeah, irrational. Can't beat Old Printer's story, but grew up in a thirs world country where kids used to melt lead from car batteries for fun and profit. All childhood friends grew up healthy, got kids and everything. Last feat in lead melting was at 20 when had to cast free diving weights. Still have them somewhere...

[ebastler]

grew up in a thirs world country where kids used to melt lead from car batteries for fun and profit.

We did that as part of our school curriculum, during handicraft lessons -- Germany, 1975 or so. Casting lead from car batteries into bars, weighing and stamping them, making our own creative molds from plaster, and casting lead parts. Great fun! I don't recall whether we were asked to wash hands afterwards...

I assume this has been removed from the curriculum in the meantime. Open flames, molten metal, lead... At least nothing could explode!   
Well, unless you were impatient and had too much water left in your plaster mold. 

[abraxa]

It started after I worked in an electronic lab that the soldering was not well controlled and my lead blood level came back high. I since left that job and my levels returned to normal. Since then I have not been able to work on any electronics or wanted to do any soldering.

Please do keep in mind that correlation does not imply causation. It is not unlikely that it was actually the building that elevated your lead blood levels - be it either the lab building or your own home: https://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-exposures-lead#older
Maybe you moved at around the same time you stopped working at the lab and thus were no longer exposed to the source of lead at home? Lots of possibilities here.
My point is that you're making a connection where it's unlikely that there is one.

[Zero999]

The OP does state that the lead fear is irrational. I can only suggest CBT techniques to overcome the utterly bizarre fear. This should be an easier phobia to overcome compared to more common ones like Arachnophobia, Agorophobia, Islamophobia  ...

Why do you think a phobia of lead will be easier to overcome than any other phobia? I don't see how it would be any easier or more difficult to overcome.

[rhb]

My sister was living in the Puget Sound area.  She didn't feel well and went to see her doctorr.  After a brief investigation he discovered she was suffering from arsenic poisoning.  Lots of questions were asked about the possible source of the arsenic but there were none they could find.  This led to questions about her husband.

As it turned out, she had gone to the annual crab feed at her son's house.  He would collect crab all year from his crab pots for which he had permits held by those attending.  His house is on the water so it was easy for him to check the crab pots.  My sister had eaten 6-7 entire crabs.  As it happens, the water in Puget Sound has a high arsenic level from the mineralogy of the rocks in the area.  She had unknowingly poisoned herself by eating so many.

[Alex Eisenhut]

I spend hours every few weeks holding pure lead. I go to the air pistol range with .177 pellets. When will I die?

Before or after my telomeres unravel and my cells fall apart by themselves?

[Mechatrommer]

i consumed sugar and sugar level in my blood went high, so i feared sugar. when i got feared, my adrenaline went high, so i fear fear, so i tried to not fear, now i dont fear sugar anymore...

[mikeselectricstuff]

If you spend a lot of time soldering, leaded solder is better for you than leadfree as leadfree needs more aggressive fluxes with nastier fumes.