Rumor has it that Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) may have mentioned these words:
>Today:
>> Solder's been around for quite a while, and I'm sure if there was
>> some sort of real health risk, it would have been common knowledge
>> by now.
My grandfather and I had discussed this about 7-8 years ago (before the
heart attack & stroke that left him wheelchair bound) and we were
discussing soldering, the dangers of lead, and whatnot, and he said
something very similar:
"I've been soldering my whole life, and it hasn't affected me one bit."
To which I simply replied: "How do you know, grandpa?"
He said "I feel fine, and I'm in pretty good shape for being [insert age
here... don't remember exactly how old he was, but was right close to if
not 80 years]."
Where I countered: "One of the symptoms of long-term lead poisoning is
short-term memory loss... and you've admitted that your short-term memory
isn't what it used to be. How do you *know* that it isn't the lifetime of
soldering & being around lead that hasn't caused it?"
All I heard was: "Hrmmmph... Hmmmm... You know you're right? I never
thought of it like that."
>1960:
>"Asbestos been around for quite a while, and I'm sure if there was
>some sort of real health risk, it would have been common knowledge
>by now."
... or DDT, or PCB, or...
Granted, in another 20 years they'll probably prove *broccoli* can give you
cancer... ;-)
Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
Received on Mon Apr 01 2002 - 19:52:05 BST