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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsComputer cables & lead--How serious is the problem?
Let's say I had a box loaded with spare cables. After several years I dump the box and use it again to store photos.
Is there a problem with lead contamination? Or, no worries?
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Computer cables & lead--How serious is the problem? (Original Post)
Baitball Blogger
Dec 2013
OP
Might be small amounts of lead in the solder, but unless the cables were soaked in water
hobbit709
Dec 2013
#2
Locut0s
(6,154 posts)1. I'm not aware of lead ever being a component of computer cables...
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I'm aware computer cables have always been twisted copper pairs insulated in plastic.
hunter
(38,325 posts)4. The lead is often in the plastic as a pigment.
Much like the infamous mini-blinds of the 'nineties.
CPSC Finds Lead Poisoning Hazard for Young Children in Imported Vinyl Miniblinds
June 25, 1996
Release Number: 96150
After testing and analyzing imported vinyl miniblinds, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that some of these blinds can present a lead poisoning hazard for young children. Twenty-five million non-glossy, vinyl miniblinds that have lead added to stabilize the plastic in the blinds are imported each year from China, Taiwan, Mexico, and Indonesia.
CPSC found that over time the plastic deteriorates from exposure to sunlight and heat to form lead dust on the surface of the blind. The amount of lead dust that formed from the deterioration varied from blind to blind.
In homes where children ages 6 and younger may be present, CPSC recommends that consumers remove these vinyl miniblinds. Young children can ingest lead by wiping their hands on the blinds and then putting their hands in their mouths. Adults and families with older children generally are not at risk because they are not likely to ingest lead dust from the blinds. Lead poisoning in children is associated with behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing problems, and growth retardation. CPSC found that in some blinds, the levels of lead in the dust was so high that a child ingesting dust from less than one square inch of blind a day for about 15 to 30 days could result in blood levels at or above the 10 microgram per deciliter amount CPSC considers dangerous for young children.
"Some of the vinyl blinds had a level of lead in the dust that would not be considered a health hazard, while others had very high levels," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "Since consumers cannot determine the amount of lead in the dust on their blinds, parents with young children should remove these vinyl miniblinds from their homes."
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Newsroom/News-Releases/1996/httpwwwcpscgovcpscpubprerelprhtml9696150html
June 25, 1996
Release Number: 96150
After testing and analyzing imported vinyl miniblinds, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that some of these blinds can present a lead poisoning hazard for young children. Twenty-five million non-glossy, vinyl miniblinds that have lead added to stabilize the plastic in the blinds are imported each year from China, Taiwan, Mexico, and Indonesia.
CPSC found that over time the plastic deteriorates from exposure to sunlight and heat to form lead dust on the surface of the blind. The amount of lead dust that formed from the deterioration varied from blind to blind.
In homes where children ages 6 and younger may be present, CPSC recommends that consumers remove these vinyl miniblinds. Young children can ingest lead by wiping their hands on the blinds and then putting their hands in their mouths. Adults and families with older children generally are not at risk because they are not likely to ingest lead dust from the blinds. Lead poisoning in children is associated with behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing problems, and growth retardation. CPSC found that in some blinds, the levels of lead in the dust was so high that a child ingesting dust from less than one square inch of blind a day for about 15 to 30 days could result in blood levels at or above the 10 microgram per deciliter amount CPSC considers dangerous for young children.
"Some of the vinyl blinds had a level of lead in the dust that would not be considered a health hazard, while others had very high levels," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "Since consumers cannot determine the amount of lead in the dust on their blinds, parents with young children should remove these vinyl miniblinds from their homes."
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Newsroom/News-Releases/1996/httpwwwcpscgovcpscpubprerelprhtml9696150html
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)2. Might be small amounts of lead in the solder, but unless the cables were soaked in water
and it leached into the box I wouldn't worry about it.
You'd face a far greater chance of contamination from most other things you encounter.
Baitball Blogger
(46,756 posts)3. Thanks!
hunter
(38,325 posts)5. Maybe I'd put on rubber gloves and wipe the box with a damp wet paper towel.
Maybe I wouldn't. I can be pretty lazy and reckless, which may be the consequence of all that leaded car exhaust I inhaled as a kid living in 1960's Los Angeles.