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Questions relating to designing PCBs
By blarggstar
#37333
Does anyone worry about the harmful fumes you're inhaling when you solder? I notice some nasty smoke coming up into my face and I breath it right in everytime. It seems to make me feel funny after a while, so I'm considering wearing a respirator.

A) I feel silly because I've never heard of this

B) I might be a little more of a hypochondriac than I realize

So what your thoughts?

(Not sure where to post this question--feel free to re-categorize)

Thanks in advance

-Ben
By linuxguy
#37335
blarggstar wrote:Does anyone worry about the harmful fumes you're inhaling when you solder? I notice some nasty smoke coming up into my face and I breath it right in everytime. It seems to make me feel funny after a while, so I'm considering wearing a respirator.
You need to do your soldering in a well ventilated area. I am also sensitive to the fumes if I am soldering for longer than about an hour or so at a time. I also can not use certain PCB cleaners because of the fumes they let off. I once had to go to the hospital because a chemical used in solder flow once got onto my workbench and I was using it to clean my boards.

It can be a real concern if you are sensitive to such things.

8-Dale
User avatar
By bigglez
#37338
blarggstar wrote:Does anyone worry about the harmful fumes you're inhaling when you solder?

A) I feel silly because I've never heard of this

B) I might be a little more of a hypochondriac than I realize

So what your thoughts?
Greetings Ben,

OHSA rules require a fume extractor over hand soldering
work areas. Here's one.

Alternatively, you can set up a desk fan or even a salvaged
fan from a PC case to blow the flux fumes away from you.

This is a precaution, as soldering by hand has been done
by workers for many years and we haven't seen any
class action suits or claims against the employers.

Comments Welcome!
By blarggstar
#37392
bigglez wrote: You need to do your soldering in a well ventilated area.
The room I solder in isn't a closet, but it definitely isn't breezy either.
bigglez wrote: Alternatively, you can set up a desk fan or even a salvaged
fan from a PC case to blow the flux fumes away from you.
I have a room fan I can setup next to my solder table--I think that will solve my problem.

bigglez wrote: OHSA rules require a fume extractor over hand soldering
work areas.
The fume extractor looked pretty handy and I have never heard of them before. Thanks for the link.


Thanks for the replies so far. I feel better knowing I'm not poisoning myself with the fumes.
User avatar
By phalanx
#37393
In my hobby life I've never used a hood or fan while soldering because the fumes have never bothered me.

At work the production group is required to use a fan at the minimum. In our R&D lab we have them available but they are not required to be used.

-Bill
By Azoore
#37461
I blow the fumes away with my mouth.. that's about all the ventilation I use.
By blarggstar
#37489
This made me laugh because I do this all the time.
Azoore wrote:I blow the fumes away with my mouth.. that's about all the ventilation I use.
By funnynypd
#37839
Azoore wrote:I blow the fumes away with my mouth.. that's about all the ventilation I use.
Agree. This is the easiest and most efficient fan, isn't it? :lol:
By konguk
#38026
Blowing the fumes away seems to be the most effective method i've found!

I also have a habit of attempting to hold the PCB, component, soldering iron and solder with just my hands and getting so close to the soldering iron tip it almost melts my eyelashes

I guess a magnifier and vice would make my life easier but i never seem to get round to buying one.....

Somehow i think even if i had both of these devices I would still try and juggle everything :)
By CuriousInventor
#38531
The question of just how bad the fumes are had bugged me for a while... here's what I found:

The fumes are from the flux boiling, not the lead (lead boils at over 3000 degrees F), but these are still bad for you and are sited as one of the leading causes of occupational asthma. Now, if you solder at temperatures past 850 degrees F, the solder can atomize and produce little bits of lead floating around. The highest recommended soldering temperatures I've seen top out at 750 degrees F, though.

Interestingly, despite lots and lots of studies, a hard limit for exposure was never found (afaik). Various governments make different educated guesses for how much is safe. It probably depends on the person, too. Once you become asthmatic, though, even small amounts of fumes can trigger reactions. So how much is too much? My best guess is that unless you're soldering daily, or work without ventilation, you're probably OK. In an effort to feed the paranorma, though, if you're really concerned about protecting yourself, know that the little carbon filters aren't enough. You need fine particulate filters, too.

And one other thing, lead-free fumes are worse for you.

Chemicals in fumes along with references and more information. (click expand after the page loads--it's a large one) If you know differently, let me know!
By funnynypd
#38565
lead-free fumes are worse for you
I heard lots bad stories about lead-free solder, this is the first time for the lead free fumes. Is it because of higher temperature required by the lead-free process?
By CuriousInventor
#38570
Pretty much. From what I gather, many of no-clean fluxes used in industry were barely active enough to do the job. So when lead-free came along requiring another 50 deg. F or so of temperature and a slightly longer heating time, the weak fluxes boiled off before the joint was complete. So when you see "lead-free" on flux or flux-cored solder, it's generally a little bit more aggressive and designed to activate at a higher temp. Some of them definitely smell worse.

OKi pdf about the increased risk of lead-free fumes. It's an ad pushing their fume extraction system, but I think the basic facts are right.
By ratmandu
#38993
konguk wrote: I also have a habit of attempting to hold the PCB, component, soldering iron and solder with just my hands and getting so close to the soldering iron tip it almost melts my eyelashes
Yep, I usually do that too, until I ruined a pair of polycarbonate lense glasses. got a little too close, and hit a pocket of air or something in the solder, and a few little blobs would splatter on my glasses... few times more of that and it was off to the eye doctor again.
By GeneARM
#39271
When I worked for Sony SAYS we used fans to draw the fumes through a filter. I also was tested for lead inhalation with one of those meter things you wear around with you all day. No problems.

The flux fumes can be really bad. I don't know what the combustion products of flux might be but anything that smells that foul can't be good for you.

Safety glasses are really important for soldering. Human eyes do not like liquid metal. I wear prescription lenses but used to put on those cheap poly carb no correction glasses and get in real close. Now and then I'd replace them. Spared my eyes when I worked with 0.5mm pitch work while protecting them from sputtered solder.

Gene
By blarggstar
#39274
Thanks for the tips.
GeneARM wrote:When I worked for Sony SAYS we used fans to draw the fumes through a filter. I also was tested for lead inhalation with one of those meter things you wear around with you all day. No problems.

The flux fumes can be really bad. I don't know what the combustion products of flux might be but anything that smells that foul can't be good for you.

Safety glasses are really important for soldering. Human eyes do not like liquid metal. I wear prescription lenses but used to put on those cheap poly carb no correction glasses and get in real close. Now and then I'd replace them. Spared my eyes when I worked with 0.5mm pitch work while protecting them from sputtered solder.

Gene