Lead Soldering Safety

Lead possesses a low melting point and a cheap price. This makes it a popular choice for solder. It is mixed with other metals or alloys that also have low melting temperatures to make solder. However, lead can cause neurological problems and birth defects. If you cannot avoid lead solder altogether you must take care when handling it to minimize health risks.

Health Problems

• The smoke from lead solder irritates the sinus and lung tissues, particularly in individuals with asthma. Over time, exposure to lead solder smoke can lead to permanent respiratory problems.

  A known neurotoxin, lead can cause birth defects and brain damage, particularly in children. Pregnant women and children should not be exposed to lead solder. Lead exposure and poisoning can cause mental retardation and developmental disabilities to unborn babies and young children.

  Lead poisoning can also affect adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms for adults include: pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities; muscular weakness; headache; abdominal pain; memory loss; mood disorders; reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm; miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women; and fatigue.

Work Area Safety

• Lead can enter the body in a variety of ways, so proper equipment and handling of the solder are needed to avoid exposure to the lead. Lead gets on your hands when you touch the solder. If you don't properly wash your hands after soldering, you could ingest it later when you eat. Likewise, any food that touches surfaces the solder has been on can also become contaminated with lead, then ingested. Do not eat in the soldering area to prevent this.

  Lead can enter the respiratory system when you inhale the solder fumes. To avoid inhaling the fumes, keep your face from being directly above your work; move your head off to one side or back. Use a fume extractor on the soldering bench. The soldering station should be in a room that is well ventilated as well.

Personal Hygiene

• Even after you are done working with the lead solder you still need to clean off the residual lead. Immediately after you finish cleaning up the work area, wash your hands. Lead can easily spread from your hands to your mouth, mucus membranes and food.

  Change your clothes. Also, you could wear a lab jacket or smock to reduce the amount of lead that gets on your clothes, particularly if you aren't able to change out of your clothes for a while.

  Take your shower or bath after you've worked with the solder. If you work in the day time it would be better to wash up after work so that lead residue doesn't stay on your body overnight, potentially spreading to your bed and other furniture. This is particularly important if you live with children or a pregnant woman.

  Wash your clothes. Lead residue sticks to clothes, so you shouldn't re-wear clothing without washing them.

Disposal

• Lead solder is a hazardous material, so it needs to be properly disposed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires lead to be placed in a "satellite accumulation area," which is a place outside of the work area with a labeled metal container specifically for storing lead waste. This prevents lead from ending up in landfills where it can leach into the soil and water sources. It also reduces the amount of lead exposure in the workplace.

Warning

• The signs of lead poisoning begin subtly, and you may not realize you are suffering from it. If you work with lead solder and experience difficulty sleeping, irritability, gastrointestinal problems, reduced sensations or poor appetite you should see your doctor to make sure you don't have lead poisoning. Since these symptoms can occur with many different health conditions, you may not suspect lead poisoning. According to the National Institutes of Health, prolonged lead exposure can result in permanent kidney, nerve and blood vessel damage.