Electronics > Beginners
Life expectancy vs Lead exposure?
janoc:
--- Quote from: james_s on August 21, 2019, 02:51:16 pm ---
--- Quote from: janoc on August 21, 2019, 02:49:24 pm ---
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on August 20, 2019, 08:48:31 pm ---Wikipedia, here and here.
--- End quote ---
And your point is? Nobody is disputing that lead is toxic.
--- End quote ---
I think his point is that somebody asked where he got the information about absorption so he answered the question.
--- End quote ---
Ah sorry, I got a bit worked up by Scram's post and missed that context. It looked just like another random "lead is bad" (which everyone knows and nobody argues with) post to me.
Mr. Scram:
--- Quote from: janoc on August 21, 2019, 03:03:44 pm ---Ah sorry, I got a bit worked up by Scram's post and missed that context. It looked just like another random "lead is bad" (which everyone knows and nobody argues with) post to me.
--- End quote ---
Are you sure you haven't been exposed to lead more than you should? Aggression and diminished mental acuity are side effects of lead poisoning. ;D All joking aside the subject seems relevant to almost everyone here. I'd prefer to have a civil discussion based on facts presented as chances are we'd learn something. It's really not worth getting worked up about anyway.
Mr. Scram:
--- Quote from: janoc on August 21, 2019, 02:47:24 pm ---Are you seriously comparing exposure of the workers in the middle of hundreds of tons of lead from the cathedral roof that has both melted down, pulverized and evaporated in the heat of that huge fire to an exposure that you could get by soldering?
Really? :palm:
Nobody is disputing toxicity of lead. But there is a big difference between touching lead and having it in your blood!
Here is some actually relevant reading material:
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a145663.pdf (OSHA study of soldering in military environment - "No significant inhalation hazard, low order ingestion hazard" (some were holding the solder in their mouths).
"Occupational Lead Exposure Of Soldering Workers In An Electronic Factory" - conclusion ("In conclusion, since the biological indicators showed normal values, the electronic circuit board soldering workers, are not at high risk of exposure to occupational lead.")
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/36286554/vol1no2271204.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DOccupational_Heat_Exposure_of_Workers_in.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20190821%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20190821T143158Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=4e095684a2168761addbc3525ece09b4ead79b1a37fedd5a27ca0f0610d88602#page=9
And if you are worried about kids, then either don't use leaded solder or keep them away from your work area (which is likely a prudent idea anyway, given the other dangers from the tools and electricity present there).
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Those hundreds of tons are spread around a large area. Keeping children away from tools is a good idea but doesn't preclude the spread of lead outside of the direct soldering area.
Mr. Scram:
--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on August 20, 2019, 08:48:31 pm ---Wikipedia, here and here.
--- End quote ---
Thanks. I think those numbers should be taken as 1% ultimately being retained rather than 1% being absorbed by your gastronomic system. Meanwhile the other 99% seem to be roaming your body until excreted a few weeks later.
Nominal Animal:
--- Quote from: Mr. Scram on August 21, 2019, 03:19:26 pm ---All joking aside the subject seems relevant to almost everyone here. I'd prefer to have a civil discussion based on facts presented as chances are we'd learn something. It's really not worth getting worked up about anyway.
--- End quote ---
Absolutely; and not just that, but seeing the basis of others viewpoints gives a much better overall picture.
Life is not a game. There are no "points" awarded on being right or wrong. What matters, is that you mentally model the reality around you in ways that allow you to act efficiently in the world. I prefer rational-analytic thinking, but many moderate religions can also provide such a framework. For example, the prevalence of trichinella in pork (causing trichinosis in humans, which is pretty horrible) well explains why some consider it "tainted". For us rational-analytical agnostics, knowing stuff like that makes it much easier to cooperate with religious people, as there is a good idea (that was very pertinent once) behind the edicts. (Just remember that most humans are not smart or rational, and cannot understand the reasons why some things are bad or to be avoided. They need the rules.)
For lead, it may be hard for laypeople to understand that lead absorbs into growing bodies at 33 times the rate it does for adults, and what that means when considering the use of lead compounds. Considering the effects of lead, violence in particular (it has been suggested that the reduction in lead additives in gasoline is a significant reason why violence in western societies has been clearly decreasing in similar fashion -- but correlation is not causation), it is definitely better to be too cautious than cavalier about lead.
It just happens that leaded solder is a clear exception. Where it is used, there is already a lot of other metals, necessitating proper disposal anyway. It is in an alloy form, making it quite safe for adults. (Actually, I tried (a bit, I'm lazy) to find the alloy absorption rates for children, as I think they are much smaller than for lead, but couldn't find any.) Using non-leaded solder involves the use of harsher chemicals, and I'm not sure if they have solved the issues regarding tin whiskers and such in the long term yet.
So, it is an interesting topic, and complex enough to discuss.
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