Toxic dangerous stuff your grandchildren won't miss

[Red Green]

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:48cdbd87$0$26315 $ [e-mail]:

o and George Bush

[David Nebenzahl]

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)

[David Nebenzahl]

On 9/14/2008 6:45 PM Red Green spake thus:

Yep! Thank you for pointing out my omission.

[Don Klipstein]

(I am following up to say which ones are close enough to Not A Problem)

Solder in electronic equipment accounts for little lead in the environment, and less still as circuit boards are shrunk as miniaturization progresses. Solder with lead is unusual by not having a crystal boundary movement process prone to growing whiskers. Try web searching for "tin whiskers" - although that is a problem with any lead-free solder achieved so far that melts at an appropriate temperature for soldering electronic components.

Lead-acid batteries, tetraethyl lead for gasoline and lead paint accounted for close to all lead going into the environment. Lead-acid batteries are still around, but most get properly recycled now. Lead output into the environment has had a monumental decrease, even in the USA where it is still legal to make consumer electronic products with solder that has lead.

Can you tell me what is inherently wrong with that one?

My experience with CRT TVs is that those are steel. Unless you are talking about within the CRT - in which case the lead is in the form of leaded glass, and the lead does an extremely excellent job of staying in the glass, even if the glass is broken into small pieces.

CFLs can actually reduce mercury pollution unless used unwisely - by reducing mercury emissions from coal fired power plants. When they last past about 5,000 hours and replace incandescents of at least 60 watts, on average they actually do that.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[Nate Nagel]

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

[David Nebenzahl]

On 9/14/2008 9:15 PM Don Klipstein spake thus:

Not true, considering how much elecronics ends up in landfills. Oh, yeah, I know, it's *supposed* to be disposed of properly by those who discard it, but let's get real: how many people do you think actually take their old TVs, computers, cell phones, answering machines, games, audio equipment, radios, CD players, remotes, pagers, etc., to a recycling center or disposal facility? Hell, in my neighborhood, they just leave that shit out on the street!

I'm aware of those and other problems with lead-free solder. That's another discussion.

Oh, I don't know, how about *lead leaching into wastewater*?

I'm talking about the lead in the tube. Not sure how inert the lead is inside the glass; I've always heard this particular source of lead discussed as dangerous. (Remember that there is 5-10 lb. of lead in the average CRT.)

I'm talking about the mercury contained in CFLs themselves. Again, not a problem (or not as much of a problem) if disposed of properly, but again, with millions of CFLs in circulation, how many of them are actually going to be? I've even contributed to the problem by dropping them on the floor ...

[Caesar Romano]

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:45:29 -0700, David Nebenzahl wrote Re Toxic dangerous stuff your grandchildren won't miss:

None of this stuff is being prevented from entering the environment. It's entry point (and associated jobs) has merely moved from the U.S. and Europe to China, India and South America.

[Bob]

lead, mercury, and asbestos come 'from' the environment.

[Frank]

I survived all these things plus I worked in chemistry most of my life and was exposed to some of the most toxic substances known to man. Fortunately the human body can tolerate de minimus exposures of most chemicals with no ill effect. I abhor the chemophobia that pervaids today. I'm not saying you should wallow in toxic substance but am saying we should stop being a bunch of wimps.

[hallerb]

tobacco products of all types...........

they are on their way out thank goodness, new law in PA prohibiting smoking in most public spaces.

I recommend a buck a pack health tax increasing a buck a year.

year ione extra dollar year 10 ten dollars extra.

stupid product kills so many ...........

[Runtime Error]

You must be some kind of weenie-boy liberal puke. I bet you ran to your mommy anytime the school yard bullies came after you...and you've no doubt grown up to be a full-blown girly-man....

[George]

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.

[Stormin Mormon]

Years ago, a town official was getting upset with a guy spraying motor oil on the country road, to keep the dust down. My friend said to the town official "The oil came out of the ground, right?"

Yes, lead and mercury came out of the ground. But the question is..... in their former state, in the lead and mercury mines, were they toxic to humans? Did we chemically manipulate them so they can get into humans? That's where I'm not sure.

I've heard mercury in vaccinations "thimerosol" causes problems for kids.

[Stormin Mormon]

A guy I know has been smoking since his early days. He's 50 now, and had at least one heart attack that nearly killed him. Since he's on welfare (and since NYS mandates hospitals and ambulance to treat anyone who calls, regardless of ability to pay) he got a tax payer supported couple days in the hospital. And lot of taxpayer supported medicines and follow up visits.

To take care of his health, he cut down on sodium, and continues to smoke.

[Cindy Hamilton]

And I've heard there's an invisible pink unicorn in Central Park, but who can say?

The risk from thimerosal is minute compare to the good that vaccines do.

Cindy Hamilton

[Steve Barker DLT]

AMEN! I agree. Some the finest products available to us are on this list. Now we have nothing. I'll keep my chlordane jug handy. I have plenty.

s

[Steve Barker DLT]

I just use the good ol' 50/50. The stained glass shops have plenty.

s

[Bob F]

Ahhh! The pride of the republicans. So doubtful of his own sexuality.

[Nate Nagel]

Did anyone mention carbon tetrachloride yet?

nate

Steve Barker DLT wrote:

[George]

I have 50/50 but since the lead free stuff works really well and isn't expensive I don't see any reason not to use it.