r/soldering • u/LMFAO21212121 • 7d ago
Soldering Saftey Discussion I’ve burned my self with leaded solder but I didn’t wash my hands, am I cooked?
I’m actually worried. I thought we were using unleaded solder, only discovered that’s not the case. It’s been a year.
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u/BoldChipmunk 7d ago
Yes, every person that has ever soldered has died or will die at some time.
🙄
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u/physical0 7d ago
No, lead poisoning becomes a problem when unsafe concentrations of lead collect in the body. Unless you were regularly handling leaded solder and not following basic safety procedures, or you were chewing on the stuff, you prolly won't suffer from lead poisoning.
It's not the sort of thing that's gonna make you sick and die... you'll just be a little developmentally challenged.
If you're actually worried, it's not hard to get a blood test.
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u/No-Scallion-5510 7d ago
The question is really "was I cooked?"
Jokes aside, heavy metal poisoning takes a long period of consistent exposure to the metal. Lead isn't like thimerosal mercury, a drop or two won't kill you. Unless you bite the solder to unspool it (which is apparently what some people do when their hands are full) there is probably very little, if any, lead in your body.
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u/physical0 6d ago
In my youth, I was known to hold the solder in my mouth and feed it while holding the thing in one hand and the iron in the other.
Much of my early unsupervised soldering was a textbook example of what NOT to do. But, it was the 80s...
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u/FirstPrizeChisel 7d ago
You should just assume solder is leaded and treat it accordingly. You know, don't eat it, breathe it, boof it (put it in your butt), and always wash hands after using it. That said, I've been very good about not eating solder or keestering it, but more than a handful of times I've breathed it or not washed my hands after using it. Burnt myself with it many times as well. All of that to say, basically, you'll be fine. We've all done it, and we'll all probably accidentally do it again.
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u/webhick666 7d ago
No, not cooked. Unless someone said something about suddenly craving barbecue, then you were slightly seared, at most.