In article , George wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote:
In no particular order:

o Asbestos (insulation, siding, gaskets, etc.)
o Lead:
o Gasoline additive (tetraethyl lead)
o Solder (per ROHS regs)
o Drainpipe sealant
o CRT X-ray shielding
o Oil-based paints, varnishes and sealants
o Mercury (in CFLs, batteries, etc.)
o CFCs (refrigerants, aerosol propellants, etc.)
o PCBs (electrical insulator & coolant)
o Chlorinated solvents (carbon tetrachloride, etc.)

Maybe humans really do have the capacity to learn.
(or maybe not)


I already miss asbestos, there really is no good replacement for it in
some applications (heat shield blankets for welding/soldering, etc) also
low/no lead solder is way harder to work with than the old stuff. Also
lead is still commonly used in batteries and that's not likely to change
any time soon.

nate


I think good quality no lead solder is easy to work with. I didn't even
realize there was a lame version until a buddy asked me to help him
replace his water heater. To save a trip back home and then back to his
place I told him to pick up some couplings, solder and flux. He bought
them at home depot. The solder was really tricky to use. It barely wet
the joint so it was hard to tell if it was a good joint and the finished
joint had a rough greyish appearance. The solder I buy from the real
store wets just as nicely as 50/50 did and the finished joint looks the
same and the solder was less expensive.

In electronic circuit board work, see what the lead-free solder does!
All-too-often, it sprouts big long whiskers in a matter of a few years!
And please don't believe that these whiskers are absent if you don't see
them, since they are usually microscopically thin/narrow!

- Don Klipstein )