Health risks

Im assuming theres a few people who have been at this whole scraping thing for a while, and while working with metals is no huge concern of mine (Im a welder and construction worker when Im not trying to make beer money by dismantling houshold goods) this whole "e-scrap" buisness scares the hell out of me. Mainly because its new to me, and new things scare me. So really my question is, is this the current centuries mad hatter issue, is everyone who rips apart mother boards and heat sinks going to die from mercury poisoning or go crazy? I think Ive built an immunity to lead poisoning so thats no huge concern of mine but is there any thing I really should be looking out for?


I work with enough, "OH dont be a *****!" types so if thats what your going to say please save the bandwith. But if youve been at this a few years or have some earned knowledge on this subject (and from what Ive read so far there are some extremely intelligent and knowledgable people on this forum.) please share.

Thanks for you time.

You should be fine as long as you don't lick the inside of a CRT television or drink from a mercury thermostat or something crazy like that. A pair of skintight (?) gloves would be a must when dealing with Ewaste. It keeps your hands from being cut up on the lead/solder points on the back of boards. I've gotten cut many times from boards and their components and I'm still here typing.

Oh, be careful about PCB's, you can find that nasty stuff in old ballasts and other OLD electronic stuff. I don't know much about em, but a few members here do.

i...ii..I've b..bb....bbeeenn..uhmmm..doiinnggg t..tthisss.. uhmmmm...e...ee...eeewaste....tttthingggg... ff...ffoorrrrr, uhmmm.... yyyears.. nn..nnowww
and it hasn't bothered me a bit ; )
I've done a couple of years here and there where I wore gloves, I wore em in the gold mine, in the oil field, a good bit working on a ranch, wore em shipfitting, and sometimes wear them when I'm cutting firewood, but mostly I've done carpentry, where I seldom if ever wore them. Sticking your hand in a tool belt filled with cold nails, or sharp screws after I started doing mostly commercial, I guess it's just what you get used to.
I started buying surplus lots of computers about ten years ago, after a shoulder injury left me sidelined for a while, tearing them down, putting them back together, fixing some, and scrapping others. I don't recall ever wearing gloves much, even times when I was all out scrapping them, and I don't think it ever really worried me, even when reaching inside while they were turned on. Not like it would with a TV or something. In fact, that's probably the worst I've had, was breaking down the first couple of TVs, especially after reading Hoss' thread about getting zapped from one, and speaking of Hoss, I wonder how he's faring

As long as your not breaking up the boards you will be fine. You don't hear of computer repair people getting really sick. I'd be more worried about breathing toxic gas from welding and strain on the eyes.

Here's the only thing I can think of offhand;
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/day-l...-you-sick.html

I wonder why you can drink water from copper pipes and it doesn't make you sick?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bear

wore em shipfitting,

---

When I read this I read it as shoplifting. Stopped me dead in my tracks and had to read it again

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CarolinaEwaste

When I read this I read it as shoplifting. Stopped me dead in my tracks and had to read it again

---

haha! uhmm, nope ; )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by copycat

As long as your not breaking up the boards you will be fine. You don't hear of computer repair people getting really sick. I'd be more worried about breathing toxic gas from welding and strain on the eyes.

---

yeah, that would probably be concern one is the dust. By far the majority of my breaking down has been done outside, with lots of fresh air

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sapienza521

Im assuming theres a few people who have been at this whole scraping thing for a while, and while working with metals is no huge concern of mine (Im a welder and construction worker when Im not trying to make beer money by dismantling houshold goods) this whole "e-scrap" buisness scares the hell out of me. Mainly because its new to me, and new things scare me. So really my question is, is this the current centuries mad hatter issue, is everyone who rips apart mother boards and heat sinks going to die from mercury poisoning or go crazy? I think Ive built an immunity to lead poisoning so thats no huge concern of mine but is there any thing I really should be looking out for?

---

I've had my hands inside computers for over 20 years now. Near as I can tell, no health problems come from assembling or taking these machines apart, aside from the occasional minor scrape or cut. I think you must be kidding about lead poisoning, there's no such thing as immunity. But otherwise, feel free to go ahead and strip down as many computers as you can get your hands on. Worst thing that will happen to you is you inhale too much dust and start sneezing.

--Geoff

wear gloves.

Rant About Dangerous Materials In Motherboards - YouTube

Just my few experiences
- When a CRT breaks, the phosphor coating on the inside of the tube is not toxic but can become airborne. Its never good to breath airborne particulates, so work outside if a tube breaks.
- If you use an angle grinder to remove IC chips from a circuit board there are either fumes or very small particulates produced that cause a noticeable decrease in lung function (I may be more prone to this because of asthma). Only do this when outdoors and with a cross-current fan.
- If you break circuit boards (to get easier access to IC chips), wear gloves. The solder points on old boards are sometimes pointed and can drive through a fingernail if broken incorrectly. Otherwise, I don't wear gloves when handling boards.
- You will get cuts, some pretty severe. You'll learn to leverage your tools with time so that they become less frequent. Masking tape makes for a great emergency bandage.
- Broken glass will eventually cut through leather gloves with time. I have one pair of gloves to work with broken glass with duct tape (I like gorilla tape better) wrapped around the fingers and palms for greater protection.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by copycat

I wonder why you can drink water from copper pipes and it doesn't make you sick?

---

Actually it makes you lean slightly left and vote Democrat.

What type of gloves do you guys use when working w/ boards? ive gone through 3 different types being shredded. I keep seeing the leather ones that i would think would stand up a little better but they are always 10x to big.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CarolinaEwaste

When I read this I read it as shoplifting. Stopped me dead in my tracks and had to read it again

---

Ditto!

breaking the board poses airborne contamination in the form of fiberglass.cutting the board on the other hand is dangerous because of the type of metal in some of the connectors. Beryllium Copper is an alloy used to make some pins and legs for IC packages. that to me would seem to be the most hazardous metal there. mercury was phased out a long time ago (dont swallow any batteries) and lead was phased out in the early 80s. there is still a certain amount of lead but with good hygiene, it shouldnt be too much of a concern. heating the boards produces organic vapors that are very unhealthy (such as phenol's). any time you heat a board to the point of the solder melting, it is releasing phenol's.

I watch out for.

PCB's in transformers. If it says 'No PCB's' theres no PCb's. If it dosn't, there is.
White heatsink paste.
Microwave magnatron ceramic.
Dumpsters with broken flouro tubes in them.
Sharp edges on stainless steel.

(The heatsink paste may have Beryllium oxide in it, the magnatron ceramic definatly has got it in it.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

White heatsink paste.

---

Is that stuff really dangerous? I've gotten it all over my hands before and I'm still alive.

Quote:

---

Is that stuff really dangerous? I've gotten it all over my hands before and I'm still alive.

---

Its effects have more of a long term strain on your health than today, tomorrow or the next.

This is a great post,,

I've been working in my business recycling computers for over 15 years, and I always take the steps to keep dust down.

Open up a computer if its loaded with dust... Break out the dust mask, and you good to go. got some bugs and stuff in it

use a pair of gloves, I like to use the mechanic gloves, its flexable and very durable.

you can pick up a pair for about 20 bucks.

don't be afraid of the recycle business You be fine.. just don't eat the boards,

If a computer has a layer of dust I'll take it outside with a hose to the air compressor and send that dust off to the boonies

Hazardous Substances in e-Waste | ewasteguide.info

If scrapping electronics scares you then you should do something else, like get a 9-5 job. my .02