On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:40:18 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

I am a believer in aggressive government regulation. Really. But...

I'm undecided. Sometimes, such regulations work well. Other times,
they're a waste of time and tax dollars. The problem is that once
regulations are in place, they never seem to go away. Even the bad
ones.

I also believe there is no such thing as a hazardous substance -- it is how
materials are used and disposed of that makes them hazardous -- or not.

I don't think you can expect the average consumer to follow (or read)
the instructions or warnings. Try reading the instructions and
warning that come with one of the most hazardous substances we
commonly handle, perscription drugs. Don't forget to read the fine
print.

Lead is a poison, and a nasty one. We know that. The question is really what
happes to the lead in the solder when the item is disposed. I'm still not
convinced that it easily finds its way into the water supply.

It does. It's showing up in all manner of odd places. The theory is
that once it ends up in the landfill, it's only a matter of time
before it ends up in the water supply. I consider the logic, testing,
and some of the regulations to be seriously flawed. I covered this in
previous rants at:
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/msg/e60cf96df9bfb75b
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/msg/16de8814c32844b5
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/msg/aaa21f0d0dc5eadd
While we're sealing nuclear wastes in glass for long term storage:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/12/971210063125.htm
apparently that's not good enough for sequestering lead from CRT's.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558