bean
Well-known member
If this were the 70's we'd be telling her to get busy with the led solder.
Should I let my pregnant wife help me populate PCBs?
- Thread starter drgonzo1969
- Start date
If this were the 70's we'd be telling her to get busy with the led solder.
xefned
Well-known member
fontoponto
Active member
The Radium Girls are calling from a hundred years ago.
Someone once told me that soldering is completely safe if I follow these rules: don’t put your snout above the soldering iron and wash your hands before touching your pensi or licking your fingers. These rules can somehow be followed by pregnant women but I‘m no doctor.
In case of doubt put on rubber gloves and use a fume extractor. That should be it. Edit: I have no idea what I‘m writing about so please don’t take it for granted!
Someone once told me that soldering is completely safe if I follow these rules: don’t put your snout above the soldering iron and wash your hands before touching your pensi or licking your fingers. These rules can somehow be followed by pregnant women but I‘m no doctor.
In case of doubt put on rubber gloves and use a fume extractor. That should be it. Edit: I have no idea what I‘m writing about so please don’t take it for granted!
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xefned
Well-known member
Joking aside, I wouldn't.
The HASL finish on those PCB pads contains lead. And I've always been told that lead is transdermal. (I'm not a doctor.)
[source]
The gut punch was having our daughter tested for developmental issues. They found higher-than-average lead levels in her system, and we don't have lead paint in our house. So naturally, I blame myself; it still plagues me with guilt.
(I know it could be contaminated tap water or other possible factors.)
Feral Feline
Well-known member
C'mon, Who are you trying to kid?
There's still a whisp of cigarette-smoke coming from your Mom's right hand — so your right hand, that's YOUR cigarette.
There was a lake in Nor ON that had abnormally high lead content in the fish and water. So the provincial scientists tried to determine what factory where was polluting this remote body of water. What they found was naturally occurring lead in the rock surrounding the lake, leaching into the water and poisoning the fish...
@drgonzo1969 — wait until your wife has the kid, and then a few more kids — you should be able to train up each kid by the time they're 4, so between your wife and the kids, you should have a pretty good work force in 4–5 years.
I always assumed that the sticky stuff on pots is oil or grease from when they stamp the sheet metal to make the pot housing.
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
I smoke while building and barely wash my hands and I’m mostly alive. Mostly.
Robert
Reverse Engineer
Me and my wife both worked at a TV repair shop when we found out she was pregnant with my son. Lots of soldering going on (not by her).
We asked the doctor if it was safe or if she should stop working and stay home... His response was "Unless you plan to eat the solder it's fine"...
Cut to today, my son has severe autism. Is there any connection? Probably not, but I'll always regret that she didn't stay home, at least until after he was born.
Granted, there's a pretty big difference between stuffing some components in a PCB versus being in a shop with several soldering irons blazing for eight hours a day...
I read somewhere years ago that lead could be transdermal when combined with certain substances, like the salt in the sweat on your hands.
I’ve heard particle size made a difference - so: filings bad/lead solder good. I know for the better part of my life, I never took any precautions. Now that I’m into the half century club, I may not worry about solder…but I still wash my hands and clean my work surface after handling….and when I use paste, I’m wearing nitrile gloves (as much for the safety as it is to keep from looking like the tin woodsman). I’ll be curious to see my levels in a few weeks when the blood comes in, though. Of course i wont know how much is from my work or from other sources…but still curious
fontoponto
Active member
Solder flux can cause contact dermatitis that’s why people should wash their hands before using the restroom. The pensi touching was not meant as a joke. But as always it depends on the ingredients.
andare
Well-known member
andare
Well-known member
Our family doctor had me hold his cigarette while he was visiting me as late as 1982
xefned
Well-known member
As you said, almost certainly no connection. But I feel you.
I don't wear gloves when soldering. I tell myself it's less likely to absorb through the tight pores of the fingers. But I have no proof of that.
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xefned
Well-known member
andare
Well-known member
Yes. That's what I can't find here.
RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
I have never heard of transdermal lead transfer. Our epithelial cells have semi-permeable membranes that block most everything. And I've done a lot of research on this subject 'cuz I don't wanna be stupid and sick, and have to take chelation therapy. Once upon a time I was going to be a doctor, but at the last second decided on a career in computer programming (a stupid decision I have always regretted).
Indeed, WebMD, who I trust, doesn't have "poverty" listed as a cause of lead poisoning. I suspect the site you listed is an activist site run for the specific reason of spreading misinformation for political goals.
What Is Lead Poisoning?
Lead is a metal that’s found in the earth. But it can also be poisonous to humans and cause serious health problems, especially in children.
www.webmd.com
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RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
I know of no substances that would be on resistors and capacitors that is harmful in any way! Some leads have plastic coating on them, which is why I polish all leads with rubbing alcohol and a scotch brite pad until they are gleaming before I solder.
In any case almost all substances that you'd find on these components would need to be broken down by stomach acid before it could enter the blood stream. Pure lead is in an inert state until digested, I've read that on several trustworthy sites.
In any case almost all substances that you'd find on these components would need to be broken down by stomach acid before it could enter the blood stream. Pure lead is in an inert state until digested, I've read that on several trustworthy sites.
giovanni
Well-known member
+1. The website even references OSHA where it’s stated clearly that lead “does not readily enter the body through the skin”. Risk factor being poverty, being a minority or a recent immigrant also sound a bit like a stretch. It’s probably true that lead is present in old unrenovated houses which are probably often inhabited by poor people and probably also minorities and immigrants. But I think it may be a logical leap to quote those as risk factor also? Maybe OSHA explains that (haven’t read the whole thing).I have never heard of transdermal lead transfer. Out epithelial cells have semi-permeable membranes that block most everything. And I've done a lot of research on this subject 'cuz I don't wanna be stupid and sick, and have to take chelation therapy. Once upon a time I was going to be a doctor, but at the last second decided on a career in computer programming (a stupid decision I have always regretted).
Indeed, WebMD, who I trust, doesn't have "poverty" listed as a cause of lead poisoning. I suspect the site you listed is an activist site run for the specific reason of spreading misinformation for political goals.
What Is Lead Poisoning?
Lead is a metal that’s found in the earth. But it can also be poisonous to humans and cause serious health problems, especially in children.
Edit: I think the truth is a bit in the middle. The CDC does cite poverty and “being a recent immigrant” as factors, mostly because of their country of origin (some countries may have looser lead regulations). It also mentions that some African Americans may be at risk because of “poor housing stock”. But it’s not clear how much those factors increase risks.
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RetiredUnit1
Well-known member
I no longer trust the CDC. The government doesn't belong in health.
Last week THEIR OWN DOCUMENTS were leaked by a whistleblower showing they knew that the jab can lead to fatal blood clots, but they suppressed that info. This is what killed my wife.
An hour after she got the jab she started getting blisters everywhere. They would not admit her into the hospital that GAVE her the shot. Three days later they started popping and she slowly went into what looked like thrombosis stroke. They still wouldn't take her back at that hospital. They took her in another ER and they said she was showing signs of a stroke, but not like a stroke.
This is EXACTLY what the CDC's documents showed, case after case after case. The CDC killed my wife by purposeful omission.
And on that happy note, OH HEY LOOK, On patrol live is on and I missed the last five minutes. Signing off!!
