Determining Lead To Be A Hazard

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Lee: How do the folks over in Europe determine that the le... - Jun 22, 2000 by davef

Hi Dave, You make a very good point. I think that the co... - Jun 23, 2000 by Lee

davef

#6425

Determining Lead To Be A Hazard | 22 June, 2000

Lee: How do the folks over in Europe determine that the lead used in electronic assemble is a hazard? What do they do with their electronic products that gets the lead in to their bodies?

Without contesting that lead is a hazard, how do people come in contact with the lead their cell phones in a fashion that makes it hazardous to them? Where would someone be more like to come in contact with lead: * Cell phone * Leaded glass crystal

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Lee

#6426

Re: Determining Lead To Be A Hazard | 23 June, 2000

Hi Dave,

You make a very good point. I think that the concern over lead is not so much in user's contact with the lead during the product's active life, but after its disposal. There is some valid concern over lead leaching out of circuit boards when they are landfilled and contaminating groundwater and soil. Also, heavy metals of any kind on a component make clean incineration (an option I'm not much in favor of in most - not all- cases) much more difficult and costly. While I can't back it up with personal experience, I know that some experts say there is no relaible way to pull lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals out of an incinerator flue.

I have less concern over CRT lead beacuse it's in a pretty inert matrix and I've sen no real evidence that it causes problems. The other area I kow causes concern though is during the manufacturing phase of both PC boards and CRTs. The processes which make them have the potential to expose workers to lead - and to release it into the environment. Also lead mining is not the most environmentally clean activity either. So in conclusion, I'd put lead as a real concern but wish that regulators had seized on some of the more difficult and serious issues that should be addressed.

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