Soldering Fumes

Just a fan to circulate the air.  I really don’t worry about it.  Been soldering for my entire career.  Avoid using the lead free solder, the flux in that stuff is even worse and should only be used with a fume recovery system.

I have a air purifier with fan . Works great.

This is an interesting illustration of how different our experiences can be when doing the same things.

Back in the 70s I owned a business repairing CB radios. That was their heyday, and I was busy. Over the 5+ years I owned the shop, I repaired somewhere in excess of 5,000 CB radios. In the process of doing that work I made tens of thousands of solder joints as I replaced various components.

I never once gave a moments thought to the fumes.

Rich. I go by the saying better safe than sorry. You just never know.

Ron I would just Google it then make your decision.  I just did that , fumes can be something that some may have to deal with their health.

if it were such a problem any one over 50 would be dead

I’ve been a technician for 50 yrs., and rarely used a fan. If I was young I would protect myself. Yes soldering fumes are harmful. Better to be safe than sorry. Compare it to smoking why do some people get cancer from it and others don’t. You won’t know if it will affect you until it’s too late.

@Rich Melvin posted:

This is an interesting illustration of how different our experiences can be when doing the same things.

Back in the 70s I owned a business repairing CB radios. That was their heyday, and I was busy. Over the 5+ years I owned the shop, I repaired somewhere in excess of 5,000 CB radios. In the process of doing that work I made tens of thousands of solder joints as I replaced various components.

I never once gave a moments thought to the fumes.

That explains a lot.

The above picture shows my soldering booth. It has an overhead oven exhaust to pull the fumes out and away. This doesn’t only reduce the smell but helps with visibility. I also installed 2 spot lamps in front to help me see what I am doing.

Rich R

I think I'll just wait until The State of California tells me what I need to do to protect me from myself while I'm soldering as I've done for at least 65 of my 78 years of enjoyable life.   Their nascent knowledge on daily nuisances is simply awesome.

Then I'll probably go get another beer, run trains, and cherish the day.

(Mr. Melvin...sounds like my well-worn story of growing up with asbestos.)

@Rich Melvin posted:

This is an interesting illustration of how different our experiences can be when doing the same things.

Back in the 70s I owned a business repairing CB radios. That was their heyday, and I was busy. Over the 5+ years I owned the shop, I repaired somewhere in excess of 5,000 CB radios. In the process of doing that work I made tens of thousands of solder joints as I replaced various components.

I never once gave a moments thought to the fumes.

Same here -

Over 40 years of soldering almost every day at work. Also had a Marine Electronics repair business at home. Always had a small fan on the bench. Add thousands of Avionics instruments and years of cell phone repairs to the mix. Motorola brick phones to i- phones today.

Always wondered what would happen down the road especially with RF around Radars even using a dummy load during testing.

Still soldering tracks with lead on the new layout today as well. I’m still above ground, no side effects so far, LOL!

To be honest, I never gave it much thought.  Then yesterday I noticed no matter what angle I tried to solder the smoke would come right at my face.

So I did a search on YT and found several videos on the subject, but this one resonated with me.  Like @superwarp1 states, it's the flux that is the issue.  And it affects everyone differently over time... like cigarette smoke.

Thus, the inquiry to those with experience.
Thanks.
Ron

"And it affects everyone differently over time... like cigarette smoke."

A good analogy.  The vast majority of smokers do not develop lung cancer or heart disease, but on the average their lives are shortened by many years, perhaps a decade.  That's because the risk of lung cancer in smokers is about 20 times that in non-smokers and the risk of heart disease is 10 times higher.  If it happens to you it's 100% bad.  If it doesn't, you think the statistics are wrong.  Rather, you are amongst the fortunate.

Don't know the specifics of the toxicities of soldering, but I suspect there's a ton of data about whether it is or isn't a danger.  Dr. Google will have lots of information is my guess.

My half asxxd solution was glueing an old pc fan to the task light.  Works ok and very quiet.

2 years ago, I had to apply 3 coats of polyurethane to about 500 v-match pine boards for a renovation project. I spent every evening in the garage with a brush in my hand. After about 2 nights of inhaling fumes and feeling lightheaded,  I bought a high-quality respirator made by 3M. Whether it kept the bad stuff out of my lungs, I don't know. What I do know is it blocked the fumes, enabling me to work a lot longer than I could do otherwise. Since then, if I'm doing anything that creates fumes (spray painting, polyurethane, soldering etc.) I wear the respirator. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't, but I figure it can't hurt.

@Landsteiner posted:

If it happens to you it's 100% bad.  If it doesn't, you think the statistics are wrong.  Rather, you are amongst the fortunate.

@Landsteiner presents some very sound logic.

This past Thursday we buried the first of my 19 cousins to die.  It was from lung cancer caused by smoking.  He was 64.

     "I didn't get sick from it, and as a result, no one else will either."

           or,

     "I know people who got sick from it, and as a result, everyone else will too."

Which is it?

It's neither, and it's both at the same time.  Individuals, even groups of individuals that you would think are sizable, do not tell the story here.  Our individual encounters in the world cannot possible extend far enough for each of us to experience this personally and totally get it right.  We just don't run into enough people in a lifetime to make a good estimate of it.

Statistics on a much broader scale do however.

In addition to my cousin I've known many. many smokers who've died from lung cancer caused by smoking.  Far, far more than not.  But with such a small group it could just as easily go the other way.

The impact of smoking on any one of us is just one person's experience.  So to me, without the actual statistics, this appears that it could be about the same as one person soldering every day for 60 years and not getting sick from it.

What you do about the possible outcomes depends on how risk averse you are.  When you're the one, you're taking your chances and rolling the dice.

Mike

I have a small fan in the window above my bench. Does enough to pull the lingering fumes out.

I've spent most of my career(s) around "hazardous" fumes, plumbers, welders, refrigerant gas, asbestos, lead paint, mold........

I'm still here, gonna go run a train now.....

A good question tho

Bob

@Dave Koehler posted:

if it were such a problem any one over 50 would be dead

If it were a major issue, I'd certainly be dead!  I've been soldering before I was in my teens, rarely a day goes by that I don't have a soldering iron in my hand.  I do have a small fan that sometimes I pull out if I'm going to be at the bench for an extended period, but usually I just dive in.

@MartyE posted:

That explains a lot.

Why? There’s nothing wrong with me.

Why? There’s nothing wrong with me.

Why? There’s nothing wrong with me.

Why? There’s nothing wrong with me.

Why? There’s nothing wrong with me.

Oh . . . I guess I could stop now.  

I just blow a bit of air at the smoke plume if my face is in it. I don't do it often enough that I'm concerned. The doctor only asks why I smoke a cigar once a week when it's warm out. She never asks about the soldering fumes or the toulene/xylene/silica I encountered in the mills.

In general, I bet it's bad. But I'll probably be ok at the levels I encounter it. I would imagine a fan would be sufficient for the average hobbyist.

This is what I use when soldering. Pulls the smoke and fumes into the filter and away from my face. Bought it on Amazon.

That's a great gadget that Dynamo posted.

I bought it mainly for my woodburning projects. The fan is strong enough to capture most smoke at 12" and the charcoal filter removes most of the charred wood smell.

I don't do a lot of bench soldering, but it works well for that too.

Jim

I have one just like Dynamo2112's above. Got it a few years ago, also from Amazon, around $30 as I recall.  Works quite well at keeping the smoke/fumes out of your face while you're soldering, even at several inches away from the work piece.

I use a small 4 inch diameter fan on my workbench when soldering. It moves enough air to keep soldering fumes out of my face but doesn't blow any papers off the workbench. I have Asthma and COPD from an life-threatening infection 7+ years ago. I'm a non smoker but I don't need to be sucking down any fumes with my health issues. This fan seems to work fine to keep me safe.  Give one a try.

I've wondered about whether that haze/smoke that always seems to head for my face was a health risk, but never looked into it, until this thread. Soldering flux is made from pine tree sap and a solvent, usually isopropyl alcohol. Turpentine is distilled pine tree sap, so pine tree sap has a small amount of turpentine in it among other things. Per NIOSH, inhalation of isopropyl alcohol fumes can cause acute symptoms. No info in the online "pocket guide" about long-term exposure. Per NIOSH, turpentine has more serious health risks, but the online "pocket guide" didn't break out inhalation from ingestion or break out long-term effects. Eyes are another exposure route for both.

A fan or exhaust booth would appear to dissipate whatever risks exist. Most model rails probably don't solder regularly enough or long enough to inhale a dose with much risk. I do not currently plan to get a fan.

Thanks for the nudge to investigate.

I like Dynamo's little fan and will look into it. One thing is for sure: it will be a lot more comfortable than wearing a mask/respirator!

I don't worry about it. I have no use for lead free solder either. I've soldered since I was a kid and it's never

caused me any problems. Use protection if your concerned about it.

Just closing the loop on my own question.  I went ahead and purchased the fan @Dynamo2112 recommended on Amazon.

It was inexpensive and works great.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ron

To each their own I guess, it seems to me you would have to be doing a LOT of soldering for this to be an issue.  

I use a small pedestal fan and open the windows in my house. It doesn’t hurt to take precautions. I’ve been told by everyone I know that if I suddenly collapse and need mouth to mouth to survive—

that I’m not going to make it…

Jeff C

I have a small air purification tower that I use. Works great on hobby spray paints also.

@Dynamo2112 posted:

This is what I use when soldering. Pulls the smoke and fumes into the filter and away from my face. Bought it on Amazon.

It would be REALLY helpful to have a product number and/or the manufacturer's name and description for this Amazon product.

Thanks.

@rthomps posted:

It would be REALLY helpful to have a product number and/or the manufacturer's name and description for this Amazon product.

Thanks.

KOTTO Solder Smoke Absorber Remover Fume Extractor Smoke Prevention Absorber DIY Working Fan for Soldering Station (Black)

https://a.co/d/eC24Oaw

@Ron045 posted:

KOTTO Solder Smoke Absorber Remover Fume Extractor Smoke Prevention Absorber DIY Working Fan for Soldering Station (Black)

https://a.co/d/eC24Oaw

THANKS!! 

Very helpful!

@rthomps posted:

It would be REALLY helpful to have a product number and/or the manufacturer's name and description for this Amazon product.

Thanks.

Looks like Ron got you your answer. I simple search of Amazon would find it as well…

@Dynamo2112 posted:

Looks like Ron got you your answer. I simple search of Amazon would find it as well…

Nope.  An Amazon search did not produce that item. 

@rthomps posted:

Nope.  An Amazon search did not produce that item. 

Not sure what to say. It came right up for me on the search. It definitely helps keep the smoke and fumes away from my face. I highly recommend. Good luck!

@rthomps posted:

Nope.  An Amazon search did not produce that item. 

You’ve got something wrong on your end, ……Ron’s link took me right to it,…..

Pat