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Why is lead illegal to use in consumer electronics solder than no one eats off of (EU/RoHS), but acceptable for food cutlery like this? Why is lead so advantag

Why is lead illegal to use in consumer electronics solder than no one eats off of (EU/RoHS), but acceptable for food cutlery like this? Why is lead so advantageous for sealing vacuum chambers that a manufacturer would risk all this backlash? Do simple epoxy glues not work?

frankharv 3y ago
[flagged]
- jerrygenser 3y ago
  There are a lot of naturally occurring elements and compounds that are extremely lethal. That does not make a reason not to be afraid.
- uptownJimmy 3y ago
  I'm pretty sure the biggest problem with social media is the staggering number of people spreading disinformation and lies. So that's something you can stop doing to help fix the thing you hate so much, right there! It's a win-win for everyone, I'm sure of it.
  - 2devnull 3y ago
    “pretty sure the biggest problem with social media is the staggering number of people spreading disinformation and lies” I’m 100% sure you are wrong about that.
    - uptownJimmy 3y ago
      Maybe you would deign to elaborate? It's not a fun and informative discussion unless you are willing to offer something more specific than "you are wrong". Gift us with specifics.
f_devd 3y ago
It's not acceptable that's why it's news. As to why it's advantages, lead is really cheap and really effective. In material science there are 2 groups, those making amazing new materials, and those trying to match them without using lead or cadmium
chaxor 3y ago
As has been said, it isn't acceptable. _No_ level of lead is safe and_no_ level of lead is acceptable. That's a statement from CDC, WHO, or any other 3 letter agency you could ask. Why is it still "used". Often, the difference is in percentage of lead in products when it's intentional vs not (probably obvious). The part that may be less known is how difficult it is to ensure that steel or other metals don't have <0.001% lead still in them, and even that is far, far too high (see original statement on lead safety level). Working in characterization of materials _can be_ difficult. I have had 3 different pieces of equipment give 10% X, 50%X, and 80% X all for exactly the same batch of the same material. However, lead is far more established in it's characterization in metals, so _given enough care and money_ these problems don't really occur. This company, and many others, aren't going to check - that's the government's job to worry about the safety and health of the public, and protect them if a company makes an unknowingly harmful product. The government meanwhile does not have the funding, personnel, or time to tackle such a monumental task. This is why it takes so long to find bad products like this - it's typically on the shoulders of curious individuals. To recap, this _should be_ a solved issue (also lead needs to come out of GA, as it has been shown to be possible for decades, and actually _harms_ the engines of small planes), but as it often is, harming people to save money spells success in our world.

frankharv 3y ago

[flagged]

jerrygenser 3y ago
There are a lot of naturally occurring elements and compounds that are extremely lethal. That does not make a reason not to be afraid.
uptownJimmy 3y ago
I'm pretty sure the biggest problem with social media is the staggering number of people spreading disinformation and lies. So that's something you can stop doing to help fix the thing you hate so much, right there! It's a win-win for everyone, I'm sure of it.
- 2devnull 3y ago
  “pretty sure the biggest problem with social media is the staggering number of people spreading disinformation and lies” I’m 100% sure you are wrong about that.
  - uptownJimmy 3y ago
    Maybe you would deign to elaborate? It's not a fun and informative discussion unless you are willing to offer something more specific than "you are wrong". Gift us with specifics.

f_devd 3y ago

It's not acceptable that's why it's news. As to why it's advantages, lead is really cheap and really effective. In material science there are 2 groups, those making amazing new materials, and those trying to match them without using lead or cadmium

chaxor 3y ago

As has been said, it isn't acceptable. _No_ level of lead is safe and_no_ level of lead is acceptable. That's a statement from CDC, WHO, or any other 3 letter agency you could ask. Why is it still "used". Often, the difference is in percentage of lead in products when it's intentional vs not (probably obvious). The part that may be less known is how difficult it is to ensure that steel or other metals don't have <0.001% lead still in them, and even that is far, far too high (see original statement on lead safety level). Working in characterization of materials _can be_ difficult. I have had 3 different pieces of equipment give 10% X, 50%X, and 80% X all for exactly the same batch of the same material. However, lead is far more established in it's characterization in metals, so _given enough care and money_ these problems don't really occur. This company, and many others, aren't going to check - that's the government's job to worry about the safety and health of the public, and protect them if a company makes an unknowingly harmful product. The government meanwhile does not have the funding, personnel, or time to tackle such a monumental task. This is why it takes so long to find bad products like this - it's typically on the shoulders of curious individuals. To recap, this _should be_ a solved issue (also lead needs to come out of GA, as it has been shown to be possible for decades, and actually _harms_ the engines of small planes), but as it often is, harming people to save money spells success in our world.