I've been offline for the last 18 hours (massive storm/power down until
20.00 h), so was unable to follow this thread.
Lead compounds are a cumulative toxin and cause irreversible damage to
the central nervous system. Pb lead levels in the blood have decreased
in those countries where leaded motor fuel has been banned for some
time, but this is not going to reverse the damage already done.
I fear that the effects of lead poisoning within the electronics
industry is purely anecdotal. I've been soldering myself for >60 years,
mostly without specific precautions, and have had sporadic blood tests
with very low Pb levels, mostly due, no doubt, to air pollution from
motor vehicles. Fortunately, I haven't lived in an urban environment.
However, I feel that hand washing after handling solder is a wise
precaution.
As for lead-containing glazes/glasses, these are all (as with all
glasses) very slightly water soluble (at all pH values) and it would be
preferable to avoid them for everyday use. Unfortunately, crystal glass
is somewhat more water-soluble than harder ones.
However, has this thread not drifted away from its subject?
Brian
Pratap Home wrote:
> Joe,
> There are instances which industry would not publish, especially IBM.
> Women workers were given alternative jobs after they developed pregnancy
> related problems at one of the plants. More recently, a court case is
> being heard in California where some workers claim to have problems
> after working at San Jose plants for last > 20 years. Unfortunately
> these type of indications have following issues:
>
> 1. Takes long time exposure for symptoms ( since concentrations are
> low) to develop.
> 2. May be confounded with other non work exposures like smoking, long
> term medication etc.
> 3. May be confounded with your current living environment - for
> example some mexican workers were using chemical storage
> containers to store drinking water and developed some problems.
> 4. I have seen factory workers in India exposed to all kinds of
> hazardous materials and who in later years develop medical
> problems. Major companies provide safe working environment but
> there are smaller ones ( hundreds of thousands) that do not and
> workers pay a heavy price.
> 5. Even in US if you complain too much about the working environment,
> you get fired .
>
> So you see it is not a clear cut case where you can prove a specific
> chemical from manufacturing to be responsible unless it was something
> like a chlorine or ammonia leak that has an immediate visible effect on
> human body. The other factor is that some of the symptoms ( like slow
> lead poisoning) mimic other ailments causing further confusion even for
> medical professionals.
>
> We as technical professionals have to keep this in mind and should not
> oppose legislation that in long term may prove to be of benefit.
> It is very hard for manufacturers to admit that their products can cause
> harm to public ( cigarette manufacturers continued to deny liability for
> decades that cigarettes are harmful). Latest example is the fast food
> industry where it has taken 30-40 years for the effects to be visible -
> that effect is obesity of school age kids. The industry always claimed
> that their food is safe and nutritious. Now the obesity problem is so
> obvious, they have started some actions so as to minimize the impact on
> their sales.
>
> pratap singh
> 512-255-6820
> www.rampinc.com
>
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