Fumes and Dangers

Psycho:Active · August 07, 2009, 04:41:10 AM

How dangerous is soldering without any kind of respitory mask?

I keep windows open when soldering to help the environment I'm in be better ventilated, and never use solder with lead in it, however I'm aware that the things I'm bending may contain lead and other less-than-desirable potentially poisonous fumes.

In the past few weeks I've developed permanant woozyness and yeah, I'm going to book an appoinment with the doctor first thing in the morning, and don't know if it's at all connected to circuit bending.
Has anyone else experienced adverse effects from circuit bending?

I feel permanantly as if I've just inhaled too many fumes (I feel worse after circuit bending, incidentally).

Forgive me if I sound like a hypochondriac ..

Dylan · August 07, 2009, 05:40:07 AM

I've never felt bad and I used to circuit bend in my bathroom and that has very little ventilation. Maybe I'm just not sensitive to it. Hope it's not anything too bad!

LoFi-Ninja · August 07, 2009, 07:16:13 AM

To much lead solder = alzheimers..

Buy or build fume extractor..

the_zombiest · August 07, 2009, 09:49:29 AM

sounds like Pig Aids to me...

Circuitbenders · August 07, 2009, 11:18:14 AM

If i'm doing something that involves a lot of soldering at close quarters i sometimes rig up a PC case fan to blow the solder fumes away from my face so i'm not directly inhaling anything.

I can't say i've noticed any adverse effects that i could directly attribute to soldering though.

Psycho:Active · August 07, 2009, 01:30:44 PM

Ok so I wont blame circuit bending. Reading about lead poisoning is worrying though, however I gather it's unlikely to happen?

I'm pretty sure I've had swine flu, maybe even twice, and havn't felt quite the same since.

..you can't catch swine flu on the internet, it's not that kind of virus, don't worry.

Dylan · August 07, 2009, 04:41:02 PM

If I get swine flu I'm going to blame you.

Psycho:Active · August 07, 2009, 07:31:44 PM

Doctor says it's stress

Perhaps I should solder a new connection from where my serotonin is produced.. maybe a potentiometer somewhere on my head so I can control the flow. Some LEDs which could light up when I need to breathe some well-ventilated air possibly.. Yeah sounds like a good idea to me.

Gordonjcp · August 10, 2009, 07:49:08 PM

You can't get lead poisoning from soldering. You can get respiratory problems and headaches from flux and plastic fumes. You can also get them from sitting poking about with electronics in stuffy little rooms.

Get a bike. Go for a ride. Take your minidisc recorder, you never know what you'll find.

jamiewoody · November 12, 2009, 08:43:07 PM

Quote from: Dylan on August 07, 2009, 05:40:07 AM
I've never felt bad and I used to circuit bend in my bathroom and that has very little ventilation. Maybe I'm just not sensitive to it. Hope it's not anything too bad!

dylan as an adolescent:

MOM-Dylan! What have you been doin' in that bathroom for a 1/2 hour?!!

DYLAN-Mom! Leave me alone! I'm 'Circuit Bending'!"

(sorry, coundn't resist).

Tyler1144 · December 09, 2009, 11:51:30 PM

I just stay out of the smoke and use a little computer fan to blow it away, lead free is almost harmless