[cnasc]

> I understand the toxicity of lead, but I wonder if the hand could've been more targeted. Does lead in bearings really show up in the environment?

Part of the issue is in manufacturing. It might be hard to prevent exposure of employees to lead dust if they’re machining parts containing lead even if the final product isn’t too risky.

[gizmo686]

How relevant is this to solder? Typically soldering is done after machining, so machining dust should be a non issue.

As far as I am aware, the act of soldering does not produce any sort of lead vapor or particulate either.

[Animats]

> As far as I am aware, the act of soldering does not produce any sort of lead vapor or particulate either.

Er, no. Look up hazards of soldering fumes.

[nexttk]

It's the flux / resin also found in the solder that causes that. At the typical soldering temperature of 400 °C, lead evaporates 10 million times slower than ice at -40 °C.

[bluGill]

How does the solder get manufactured? Don't forget to account for the rest of the supply chain - the mines for example