3 Jun
2004
3 Jun
'04
11:24 a.m.
R. D. Davis quotes Shaun Ripley's question, and responds (in part) thus:
Well, the kid's only two - and therefore probably _would_ be willing to
eat the stuff. Intelligence is one thing; experience of the world is
another. :) In any event, lead as a contaminant can also be transmitted
by breathing dust, so eating computer boards may not be the main potential
problem.
I agree that the kid could accumulate a good quantity of lead and survive,
but survival isn't necessarily the issue here: the brain and nervous
system are still developing at that age, and thus have added
susceptibility to damage from small amounts of lead poisoning - which they
would _survive_, almost certainly, but developmental damage at that age
could lead to diminished capacity and therefore a predisposition to voting
for those mandatory can-opener safety laws and such which were discussed
with such passion earlier on. :) So, though it's unlikely to actually
be life-threatening, I don't think the concern over the lead is at all
misplaced.
I suspect most two-year-olds don't do that much soldering. :) But the
advice about not panicking is certainly very sound.
I started to
worry about lead paint problem when
buying an old house. I bought a lead test kit and
Why? As long as your child is smart enough not to eat paint flakes or
lick the dust, there isn't much to worry about. People have grown up
living in houses with lead paint for many years and survived. [...] tested the
paint chips from the windows and fould them
to be positive. Then I tested some computer boards,
and the result was postive too. Have you ever found
Relax, don't panic. Realize that they'll get more lead exposure from
soldering or from pencils and don't waste your time worrying about it. > [...] Has anybody done any
> research on this issue? To be safe, I am going to
> throw most of my boards to attic, which are lying on
> the floor and accessible to my two year old daughter.
Lead or no lead, this is a smart idea. Mr. Davis is quite correct in
noting that two-year-olds and printed-circuit boards are just not the
ideal combination. (In the same vein I might suggest not allowing
two-year-olds to use lathes, screw guns, pottery or glassblowing
equipment.)
In worrying about lead contaminants, however, I suspect vintage computers
will be nowhere _near_ the hazard level for your kid as the paint could
potentially be. The best advice there seems to be: get rid of the dust,
keep things clean, get rid of the dust, seal off the painted areas with a
non-lead-based paint, and get rid of the dust. Some slightly smarter
and more detailed advice can be had from the EPA:
http://www.epa.gov/lead/leadinfo.htm#protect
That's my free advice, for whatever the hell it's worth. I am not a
parent, nor do I play one on TV.
-O.-
...though I _have_ raised two very intelligent dogs. :) :)