On 13/12/2017 16:39, Nightjar wrote:
On 13-Dec-17 1:58 PM, Adam Funk wrote:
I got a package today with the "dead tree & fish" label on it & a
13-page safety data sheet inside.Â* It turns out that desoldering braid
is so labelled because copper is "aquatic acute 1, H400" and "aquatic
chronic 1, H410".Â* (The other component, rosin, is marked as "skin
sens. 1, H317".)

I'm a bit surprised that copper is apparently safe to contain & carry
drinking water but a hazard if dropped in water outside.Â* What am I
missing here?


Wooden ships used to be sheathed in copper in order to prevent marine
life from growing on the hull. SFAIK it is still used in antifouling
paints.

Increasingly the antifouling paints are inert and extremely slippery as
this both prevents marine life getting stuck on and decreases friction
against the water by over 5% (and a big saving in fuel bills).

https://www.international-marine.com...cus/Intersleek

The days of noxious paints on boats polluting harbour waters is almost
at an end. Older boats may still have TBT and other nasties on them -
but use of that stuff was officially banned in 2008 and strongly
discouraged for a while before that.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown