Toxins are a good point raised, and I on more than one occasion have felt the effects of lead poisoning as you've described. I do not have ventilator hood either, but now try to work with the window open and have small desktop fan which attempts to blow most of the fumes and smoke out of that window. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
73, James K2QI Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile -----Original Message----- From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:09:02 To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Naked - Toxic Effects The rules get tighter as the years wear on. Nowadays the fumes from soldering are considered dangerous because there are lead oxide vapors in them, and inhaling too much can lead to lead poisoning. Symptoms include loss of appetite, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, abdominal cramps, nervousness, and insomnia. Lead is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the lung, stomach, or intestines and then enters the bloodstream. Sheesh, and all these years I thought it was work causing those symptoms! Seriously, it is worth paying close attention to the toxins in our environment. Every year there seem to be more and more of them and the cumulative effect is not well understood. I don't use a ventilator hood for my route soldering, but I do position the work so I'm alongside it, not above it, and the fumes rise up and away from both the work and me. I readily handle wire solder but wash my hands as soon as I'm done. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- It seems to me that some may remember that glasses were recommended to keep the smokin rosin from coating our eyes too? Or, that when looking close at a soldering connection, the smoke would burn a bit? Flyin' solder was the least of our worries, making a good solid physical connection properly soldered, was of prime concideration, and one would be proud, when the connection held up under stress....even if the stress was the result of a pair of electrolitics wired ...... in reverse. But.. that is a story for another time. But.. the solder held. --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

