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Soldering fumes are dangerous and toxic. Wear respiratory protection and ensure the area is well-ventilated! All solder fumes can cause occupational asthm

Soldering fumes are dangerous and toxic. Wear respiratory protection and ensure the area is well-ventilated! All solder fumes can cause occupational asthma and other health problems (leaded and lead-free) if used for long periods at a time. The best solder wire contains something called Rosin that helps the solder flow when hot. This causes asthma if you are over exposed and is irreversible. [0] Context / background: A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of the Choo Choo Barn in Strasberg, Pennsylvania [1]. He'd ended up with severe lung cancer do to all the soldering fume inhalation over the years. [0] "Are solder fumes bad for me?" - https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-solder-fumes-bad-for-me https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1904/are-sol... [1] https://www.choochoobarn.com/ https://www.choochoobarn.com/

semi-extrinsic 9y ago
I most definitely agree! But as you say, lead vs. lead-free makes no difference, the fumes are all rosin burning.
cr0sh 9y ago
I think "respiratory protection" is a little over the top. A simple small fan blowing the fumes away is usually more than enough; if you want something better, a charcoal filter vacuum fan setup nearby works well, too. The rosin in solder is nothing more pine resin; it's identical to the resin used by violinists. In fact, it is easy and cheap to make your own "liquid rosin" for soldering (usually SMT drag soldering); you can make enough for a lifetime of use for what you would pay for a single MG Chemicals pen. Good to breath in? Nope. But hardly something that'll kill you, except in cases of chronic exposure (that is, if you breath it constantly every day for weeks on end - most hobbyists won't ever end up doing such). Now - acid core solder (not something you use on electronics, mind you - but generally for metalwork) is not something you want to breath in period. Whereas rosin core, while smelly, might just make you cough a bit (unless you are more sensitive than others), acid core will make you choke almost - and it burns your throat. Not only that, it can make your eyes sting (so - regardless of what solder you are using, eye protection goggles are definitely something to wear). Adequate ventilation for acid-core solder is a must; without such, you might actually find it worthwhile to wear a mask of some sort to prevent excess fume exposure.

semi-extrinsic 9y ago

I most definitely agree! But as you say, lead vs. lead-free makes no difference, the fumes are all rosin burning.

cr0sh 9y ago

I think "respiratory protection" is a little over the top. A simple small fan blowing the fumes away is usually more than enough; if you want something better, a charcoal filter vacuum fan setup nearby works well, too. The rosin in solder is nothing more pine resin; it's identical to the resin used by violinists. In fact, it is easy and cheap to make your own "liquid rosin" for soldering (usually SMT drag soldering); you can make enough for a lifetime of use for what you would pay for a single MG Chemicals pen. Good to breath in? Nope. But hardly something that'll kill you, except in cases of chronic exposure (that is, if you breath it constantly every day for weeks on end - most hobbyists won't ever end up doing such). Now - acid core solder (not something you use on electronics, mind you - but generally for metalwork) is not something you want to breath in period. Whereas rosin core, while smelly, might just make you cough a bit (unless you are more sensitive than others), acid core will make you choke almost - and it burns your throat. Not only that, it can make your eyes sting (so - regardless of what solder you are using, eye protection goggles are definitely something to wear). Adequate ventilation for acid-core solder is a must; without such, you might actually find it worthwhile to wear a mask of some sort to prevent excess fume exposure.