[detaro]

Because lead poisoning isn't a huge issue for hobbyists.

Common rules are: Work in a well-ventilated area, don't eat while working, don't use your soldering iron to heat your coffee. But those apply while using lead-free solder as well.

[facepalm]

Why is it not an issues, the dosage is too low? Afaik lead enters through the skin, too - washing hands after soldering sufficient?

[falsedan]

Real answer: you would have to be soldering for hours every day for months to be exposed to more lead than can be cleared naturally. Full-time component assembly workers do get that much exposure, so they need to take precautions to avoid poisoning. For hobbyists, you would have to eat quite a bit of solder at once before you would develop any poisoning symptoms.

edit: so, it's the frequent repeated exposure to lead (i.e. in paint and as a sugar added to wine[0]) which is harmful, not any single individual (non-acute) exposure.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_acetate#Sweetener

[Chris2048]

heavy metal leaching in rubbish tips is an environmental issue, one being tackled by much of Europe, starting with regulations on lead-containing electronics.

[Dylan16807]

And since almost all electronics are made in large quantities for sale, it makes sense that there can be different rules for one-offs.