From what I understand, there is little to no lead in soldering fumes. The fumes are almost entirely from the flux. If you are working in a well ventilated spac

From what I understand, there is little to no lead in soldering fumes. The fumes are almost entirely from the flux. If you are working in a well ventilated space you should be able to protect yourself by setting up a small fan to blow the smoke away. I think a filter is overkill for someone who is just starting out. They should at least figure out if they enjoy the hobby before they spend $60 on a filter. That being said, even if they don't contain lead, the fumes from soldering are not good for your health. If you do continue soldering, some form of fume extraction is in order. There is a pretty good discussion on stack exchange about this topic: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-solder-fumes-bad-for-me http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-sold...