I 100% agree here, on all accounts (read through his thread): lead-free solder is better. I switched to lead-free almost a decade ago, and went from being a crappy solderer to pretty decent around the same time. Before that, going back years, I was a kid playing with lead and had no information on proper handling (or on proper soldering skills, but that’s another issue).

I’m not going to write much about leaded vs lead-free solder skills or ease of use, because that’s less important to me than staying away from things that can damage my health, my kids’ health, or the environment. Suffice to say that lead-free soldering is a skill you can learn, and is plenty suitable for first-time solderers.

There is some misinformation being spread that lead-free solder is somehow more toxic/worse for you than leaded solder, because of the flux fumes.

Here’s an incorrect statement:

[…] Sure, you get less heavy metal poisoning, but lead-free flux is exceptionally bad for you when compared to what is used in lead solder.

I’ve heard this repeated enough anecdotally, that I wanted to know the truth of it.

I’ll reserve from direct quoting a lot of folks defending their leaded solder. I respect a lot of these folks, and many have been doing this for longer than I’ve been alive. But that won’t stop me from correcting factually wrong statements saying lead-free solder is more dangerous than leaded solder. Saying “lead-free solder is more dangerous” on the internet adds to global misinformation that can actually cause harm.

So I spent a morning reading material safety data sheets (SDS). An SDS is “a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a widely used system for cataloging information on chemicals, chemical compounds, and chemical mixtures. SDS information may include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular material or product […]” [wikipedia]

