I died once. Then I got better.
I'm sure the French government is spending millions to clean up due to "alarmist bullshit" instead of actual risks?
Actual research shows lead intake is cumulative and definitely harmful at blood levels of 10 µg/dL. It could be worse though. "There is no known safe blood lead concentration. But it is known that, as lead exposure increases, the range and severity of symptoms and effects also increases. Even blood lead concentrations as low as 5 µg/dL, once thought to be a “safe level”, may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioural difficulties, and learning problems." You won't keel over instantly and the biggest risk is definitely associated with children but it is a veritable toxin and should be handled with consideration.
Wikipedia, here and here.
And your point is? Nobody is disputing that lead is toxic.
I think his point is that somebody asked where he got the information about absorption so he answered the question.
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.
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?
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).
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.
Meanwhile the other 99% seem to be roaming your body until excreted a few weeks later.
If you consider exactly how heavy metals cause cellular damage, that may be much less dangerous than you think.
Anyway, the small slug of leaded solder I ate has tiny surface area compared to its mass, and does not really dissolve in hydrochloric acid (stomach acid). It is basically the safest form of lead to ingest. I believe it has basically passed unchanged from my system, with only some of the surface alloy possibly passing through to my blood; insignificant amounts to worry about -- and only a fraction of the already minuscule amounts I calculated before. But very interesting to consider in a rational fashion, definitely!
If a kid had eaten a solder ball, I do not think it would warrant using emetics, overall. A few, or a length of solder, might. Using emetics, there is always the risk of getting stomach acids in the lungs, which definitely causes irreparable damage. I am not sure if charcoal would make any difference. Milk might suffice.
I believe the calculations in my earlier post would match the worst case scenario, eating lead dust. In macroscopic form, only the surface layers are really subject to dissolving (in stomach acid) and passing to the blood stream. Also, diet affects lead absorption a lot, and indeed milk is an effective protection against lead being absorbed.
bjdhjy888: When you solder, there are fumes from the flux too; and if you are anything like me, there's always some piece of plastic melting or burning (from wires or whatever plastic happened to lay on the bench too close to the iron tip when I was looking at some detail).
These fumes are nasty. You do not want to breathe those fumes. We just recommend ventilation over a mask, that's all.