okay i just finsihed soldering some motors and stuff, then i read on the bottom of the solder that it can cause cancer (lead). BEEP. I breathed in some of the smoke caused by it.!!!

ive never seen people wearing masks while soldering, so i dont think its that much of a risk..

i guess it does depend on the percentage of lead content though..

Try to do it in a well ventilated area and try to avoid breathing the fumes but most of us don't solder enough to be at risk.

now if you sit there trying to get high huffing solder fumes or solder for hours at a time day in and out probably, using it here or there no... Like the others have said if you worried just do it in a well ventilated area.

You might not have noticed but most products contain may cause cancer on it somewhere in teeny tiny print. They do this to cover their asses so they can't be sued if anyone develops cancer while using it. One of my favorite cancer warnings was on a extension cord it said and I kid you not "Product may cause cancer in the the state of California" I was like well glad I don't live in California so I won't get cancer using it

I think you have cancer now.

What!!!!!!!!!lol

Thing is the fumes is mostly the "flux" in the solder smoking off... not the best stuff to breathe and can give me a headache but.... just have a tiny fan pulling the fumes away and life is a lot more swell [8D] My dad has breathed the stuff (plus some other crap for years...) and is still doing good so ya, just don't try and breathe in tons of it and you should be fine

yes, you will die

I love the smell of solder melting........................

I've been soldering for 25 yrs and never had an issue. Don't you know everything is bad for you.

I usually wear a mask but I just happen to have one from when I worked at an environmental engineering firm.

Something like this is a good investment and can be used for painting as well.

http://www.homedepot.com/Paint/h_d1/...atalogId=10053

i have spent years infront of the oxy doing soldering
on radiators. the flux like someone mentioned will give
you a headache because of the chemicals in it. the solder,
primarily lead not so much these days is more likely to give
you lead poisening than cancer and the chances of that happening
are slim. it takes time to build up and lots of exposure. the flux
is what i would be worried about. especially the "flux core" type solders.

what im getting at is lead itself wont do you too much harm in your
position, but the flux and its chemicals could do god knows what.
you should always solder with some ventilation.

and yes everything causes cancer. reading this post is known to the
state of calfornia to cause cancer [X(]

i use one of these when soldering

http://img.ecplaza.com/my/meikangco/11.jpg

lol

yeah, dont be worried, youll be fine

... you've only got one body, don't take preventable risks with it.

I know guys that smoke and drink and die at 100 and guys that have no bad habits and excercise that had a heart attack at 55 but... these are usually the exception.

Well ventilated area and wear a mask if you have one, or buy one for $25 from my link above. Breathing in fumes is never good for you regardless of where it comes from.

ya know that is so true, my mom and dad are perfect examples, my mom lived a very outgoing and healthly life but last year out of the blue she came down with a gleoblastoma in the visual center of her brain and she just passed in july. but my dad is a fire fighter and they have a life expectancy of about 55 yet hes 50 and still very healthy (obviously not emotionaly, thats another story intirely)

i am a tattoo artist and have been for almost 30 years .. i solder everday for around 1 to 2 hours a day building needle bars ... so far so good LOL healthy so far

If you are really concerned about your health an R/C forum is not the place to get your answer. You should call your family Doctor.

lmao, think about it buddy?, theres lead in solder and other chemicals, its not gonna do you any good, how bad is it for you?, i dont no, but i bet its not good

The big issue with fumes is that the chemicals enter the blood stream very quickly because that's where oxygen gets collected by the blood, any impurities will also get collected at the same time. Any chemicals are bad chemicals when you're talking about breathing them in.

I doubt there's any lead in the fumes, as stated lead has a high boiling point but the flux is another matter.

Just remember one thing in life. If it smells good,taste good or feels good.
It will most likely cause cancer or early death!
Do not worry the small things.The big things will always pop up and take away the fun[&o]


Bigaco

:The most inportant thing is enjoy as much as you can life is too short[>:]

At the proper amount, you become a superhero. Too much = bad guy.

unless your stripping radiators without an exhaust fan like i was for
a couple of years you will not have a problem. seriously. you can get
a mask if you want but get plenty of filters/masks because if you use one more
than once your doing more damage than not wearing one. some people get
effected in different ways by different chemicals but really i think some people
need to harden up. obviously breathing in anything isnt good. and yes
lead gets airborne when its burnt, brushed, sanded you would be surprised.
if your really worried you might want to consider gloves as handling the lead
can be dangerous too. we used to have to leave our clothes at work because of
lead contamination. all it takes is for you to not wash your hands and touch
things and it builds up. i have been around it for years.

there is no need to take risks if you dont want to, especially ones that can be
avoided. if you choose to wear a mask than thats your choice, personally i have
better things to worry about. i wouldnt go breathing it in though.

just for the record every three months we were tested for lead exposure. normal people
with relative exposure (mesured in ug's per litre or something) was 5 and under.
i was getting 6's 9's and 11's for ages then moved workshops and it got up to 36.5 ug/ltr.
it said anything over 40 requires urgent medical attention. it was higher than nearly
anyone i knew.

i dont think any casual soldering will give you lead poisening.

your going to die .

will you please tell all your Canadian buddies NOT to come to Florida this year , we are going to burn solder incense in all the condos for the next 6 months , it's a new form of "Pest Control"

best wishes , Hoser !

Yes buddy, been there. I lost my mom unexpectedly to cancer, it was 10 years ago (still hurts) took us all by surprise. Even tho' she was 70 she took care and lived a healthy life, the doc's said the rest of her was as fit as a fiddle and without the cancer should have lived another 20 years or so. As for my Dad 80, he's smoked since 15 years old (given up now tho'), worked in a chemical factory 40 years till he retired, breathed in god knows what fumes, much of this was before 'health and safety' officers stepped in to clean the factory's environment up, and yet now he's in great health for his age. Fortunately he re married a couple of years ago, and he's a new man again.
There's no answers ............
Stay close to your Dad buddy. Best regards.
Ron.

Lead is not considered a class 1 carcinogen, but if you are pregnant, lead is known to cause birth defects. Also to impede the growth / development of small children. Lead itself is a poison always wash your hands thoroughly after soldering before you eat.
Like calvino said it's actually the flux or the resin and the other chemicals in the solder that are stinky and bad. You should always try to keep good airflow when soldering, for extreme situations use a fumehood or something similar (generally not necessary).

"lived another 20 years or so. As for my Dad 80, he's smoked since 15 years old (given up now tho'), worked in a chemical factory 40 years till he retired, breathed in god knows what fumes, much of this was before 'health and safety' officers stepped in to clean the factory's environment up, and yet now he's in great health for his age. Fortunately he re married a couple of years ago, and he's a new man again."
It's all a roll of the dice, you can smoke your whole life and it'll only have a 10-15% chance of actually killing you (will affect you in other ways though). If you are smart you learn to do everything you can to avoid dangers, but at the same time don't stress out or get paranoid about it since that too is harmful.