Health problems, soldering fumes/rosin core fumes/smoke

[Rick]

I hope I'm completely wrong about this, but I have a strong suspicion that the rosin fumes are really bad stuff. Diethylene glycol dibutyl ether is listed as a hazardous substance that can cause lung damage and skin irritation.

[pompeiisneaks]

You're not wrong. There's a reason that anyone that solders for a living uses evacuation systems to pull the fumes away. I started experiencing flu-like symptoms every time I'd spend a day soldering. I read up on it and found it's really bad. I already have asthma, so I was fast to get a good fume fan, not a full system, they go for like 1000$ or more, but this does the job, pulls it away from my face and I don't hardly breathe any in now. Be in a very well ventilated room, or get a good ventilation setup.

~Phil

[TUBEDUDE]

Every tech should have a smoke evacuation system.

[Reeltarded]

Patchbay assembly is not like amp building so the iron is constantly hot and you do a new point every 10 seconds or so. 16 hours will give you hearburn feeling yuck that hangs on for a few days. That can't be a great sign.

[Rick]

You're not wrong. There's a reason that anyone that solders for a living uses evacuation systems to pull the fumes away. I started experiencing flu-like symptoms every time I'd spend a day soldering. I read up on it and found it's really bad. I already have asthma, so I was fast to get a good fume fan, not a full system, they go for like 1000$ or more, but this does the job, pulls it away from my face and I don't hardly breathe any in now. Be in a very well ventilated room, or get a good ventilation setup.

~Phil

Thanks for the reply!

[M Fowler]

Yup I had a friend quit soldering/building amps because of his associated health problems.

[TUBEDUDE]

A jeweller my wife buys from just died after years of ill health from solder fumes. I told her about halogenated flux fumes and tried to talk her into a smoke evacuator 2 years ago. She was not willing to "go to the trouble".

[Rick]

A jeweller my wife buys from just died after years of ill health from solder fumes. I told her about halogenated flux fumes and tried to talk her into a smoke evacuator 2 years ago. She was not willing to "go to the trouble".

That's too bad. I should have known better. I did use a fan to blow the fumes away but not enough evidently.