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Health issues due to soldering fumes.
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paul8f:
Hi all,

as a teenager I spent hours and hours in my bedroom putting veroboard projects together and tinkering around with devices as many of us did when we were younger. The trouble is that I was the eldest sibling, and neither of my parents had a clue as to what electronics involved, never-mind the health&safety aspects of my hobby (...which later went on to become my career).

With no mentor or guidance, I proceeded to do a lot of 60/40 soldering in a small room with no filter fan or air extraction unit. I at least had the common sense to crack the top window opening, and blow the fumes away while soldering, but I don't think these practices were enough. Now approaching 40, I can't do 30 seconds worth of soldering without getting a headache, and instantly becoming totally run down with tiredness. The combination of these two symptoms I suppose you could compare to 'brain-fog.' I am currently working in the opto-electronics industry where I can avoid soldering, but I am very eager to get back to my first love of electronic debug and repair. The stress of not doing a job that I like is slowly killing me, and I urgently need to change something.

So my question is regarding how I should proceed with getting on top of these health issues... Has anyone ever been tested for chronic heavy-metal poisoning, what's involved, and if it's treatable what are the options available? (Not sure what I'm going to do with the current restrictions regarding the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis, but now is the time for me to gather all the advice that I can.) Please, please share your experiences or stories. I'd appreciate any weblinks too that may help.

Thanks, Paul.
Siwastaja:
You don't get chronic heavy-metal poisoning from the soldering fumes; there are very little metals in the fumes. Boiling point for lead is 1749 degC. However, the smoke from the burning flux can still wreak havoc in your lungs. After the corona crisis is over, see a doctor, don't try to self-diagnose it.
EEEnthusiast:
I have had the exact same issues and I though the same 'lead poisoning', but I was wrong. I had been a hobbyist from my childhood and started soldering very early and for long times. I started to see these problems when I reached mid 30s. I used to develop  a head ache after soldering for about 15 minutes. With some rest it used to be OK and then it came back again. I was worried and did not know what to do. I figured out the problem by myself after a long struggle.

1. Test your eyesight. You may have a very small positive power in your eyes which may cause nearby work to be difficult. In my case, the power in my eye was + 0.5 and +0.25 with some cylindrical power as well. These may seen small, but when you do close work for long time you may start getting eye strain and head aches. I had glasses on after the diagnosis and my head aches went away.
Make sure that the doctor dilates your pupils before the testing. Without dilation, you eye will compensate for the focal length and detecting small positive powers may be not possible.

2. Quit alcohol : I had formed the habit of drinking beer almost daily. With even smaller amounts of alcohol, the muscles in the body gets relaxed and the neurons fire slowly. The muscles controlling your eye's lenses are no exception to this. They also get weaker and loose their ability to focus at short distance. If you are into drinking alcohol, just abstain from that for a couple of weeks and check the difference. I'm sure you would see some positive change.

3. Amount of light : Add a bright light on your bench and focus it on the soldering area. It can do wonders for your eyes.

4. Use a magnifier when working with really small components like 0402 and fine pitch QFP ICs.

5. Quit coffee : Caffeine can mess up with some peoples eyesight.

6. Try green tea : Having green tea has really boosted my eyesight. Now I am without glasses for over 2 years. I am not 100% sure if it is only the green tea which has contributed to it, but from my personal experience, it has helped a lot. It is a powerful anti oxidant and stress reliever.  It can help cure your eye muscle fatigue when taken over long duration. It may take months before you see a difference. Just 2 cups a day for 1 month should be enough to notice some result.

7. Cut down sugar and switch to honey for your tea.

These may seem medical advises, but these have worked for me. I wish you the best.
Kilo Tango:
You might want to get checked out for Asthama, https://www.hse.gov.uk/lung-disease/electronics-soldering.htm .

I speak from experience.

Ken
Zero999:
Lead free solder is much worse for the lungs, than leaded because it has a much stronger flux. A clueless health and safety manager where I work wanted us to move over to unleaded solder (we're exempt from RoHS regulations), but we managed to persuade him that it's not the lead that's the problem.
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