Lead free extension cords? (Also general discussion on lead containing products)

[SunnyD]

Breaking news: The Earth contains lead!!! Get the fuck off it or get cancer!!!

*sigh*

 

[Imp]

Everything's out to kill us... mofos. The sun leads to skin cancer so don't go out during the day - seriously, I've been avoiding mid-day sun for the past year.

 

[0roo0roo]

in any case most every cheap thing i've bought off meritline has had the sticker lol

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

People that worry about this shit should die in order to better man kind by not reproducing.

FACT: One day you will be dead. Deal with it.

 

[440sixpack]

There is also no lead in the insulation. The warning is incorrectly worded. It refers to the presence of DEHP (and other pthalates) which are used as softeners in the PVC insulation (PVC is in its pure form quite hard, but when blended with pthalates, becomes soft and flexible. DEHP has some activity as an "endocrine disruptor" or "gender bending" chemical). California requires special warnings on items which contain DEHP even though, the existence of any health risks from handling these products is highly controversial among scientists.

Rather confusingly California legislation specifies the wording for the warnings (which specifically include the word "lead") even if the warning is about a different chemical (like, in this case, DEHP).

If you are really worried about the toxicity of PVC, you could always replace the cable with a silicone insulated cable. Silicone is very flexible, less toxic and can withstand much higher temperatures. However, it has a very high friction coefficient, so doesn't "pull" as easily. Silicone cable is used in clothes irons, but has to have an outer fabric sheath, because a bare silicone cable would pucker up the clothes if it dragged on them.

There is another link by colt45 in this thread explaining the use of lead in PVC. Indeed you are right.

Lead is in the PVC sheathing on some wires, I have directly seen it in my lab. If you're really interested, this is the background on the CA Prop 65 lead in PVC wires warning: http://www.belden.com/pdfs/Quality/Prop65QA_NEMA.pdf

 

[Mike Gayner]

Are you planning on eating your extension cord? If not, stop being such a fucking girl.

 

[0roo0roo]

 

[SonicIce]

i do this all the time am i going to die

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Doing this currently..

 

[Modelworks]

The whole lead scare has cost consumers billions. The changeover is responsible for hundreds of thousands of failed products. The lead free solder is very temperamental. It needs to be used at higher temps = more risk to parts, it doesn't flow as well and can tend to clump, and it can crack more easily after repeated heating and cooling of the parts. Remember all the xbox 360 red ring of death ? You can blame ROHS for that. The solder doesn't hold up well and cracks causing the chips to lose connection. Easiest way to fix an older xbox 360 , use lead solder. It is well known how bad it is , for example, the military has an ROHS exemption because in testing only lead solder holds up to milspec.

 

[Texashiker]

Those God-damned warnings have cost consumers BILLIONS.

Irresponsible businesses have cost consumers billions.

Lead should have been phased out of our society hundreds of years ago. The effects of lead on the nervous system has been known since at least the mid-1700s, but for some reason companies still use lead?

There is no excuse to use lead, we know it has harmful side effects, but companies want a cheap and easy solution.

Benjamin Franklin on one of his trips through Europe visited a hospital where a lot of the patients were printers. Handling the lead dies caused damage to the nerves in the hands; some of the people could no longer use their hands to feed themselves, put on their clothes,,,,,. They had to be cared for for the rest of their lives because of the effects of lead.

Since all of the people in the ward of the hospital were printers, and had handled lead dies for the printing press, Benjamin Franklin speculated that lead must have caused the damage to the workers hands.

What does that say about the human race as a whole? We have known for at least 200 years that lead is bad for us, but we still use it? Are we "really" that stupid of a species?

 

[Modelworks]

Since all of the people in the ward of the hospital were printers, and had handled lead dies for the printing press, Benjamin Franklin speculated that lead must have caused the damage to the workers hands.

BS unless they were eating the lead. I and many others in electronics have handled lead solder for decades . I had my blood level checked just because of all the paranoia from people, the result, not any lead present. Lead solder was also used for over 80 years in copper plumbing in homes till again paranoia made them switch to silver. Lead solder was never proven to harm anyone when used on copper plumbing, it was just the fear of 'lead, run !"

Stained glass workers also handle lead in large amounts for decades and I don't recall ever hearing of one dying of lead poisoning.

I would be more concerned with LED lighting waste. It has all sorts of fun stuff like arsenic as a main ingredient.

 

[Texashiker]

BS unless they were eating the lead. I and many others in electronics have handled lead solder for decades .

The history is there, you can deny it all you want, but its not going to help your case.

 

[Crow550]

I'm sorta split on this discussion of lead in products being a big deal or not? Everyone is sharing interesting view points.

So if it's in the PVC of the cable. How much gets absorbed when touched?

Some? None? Where are the test results to back up the Warnings?

Also wouldn't this be in like all power cables or cables in general like I stated above? Even ones made before the Warnings were put in place? Same with Garden hoses?

Where is the lead free alternatives of cables like extension cables? If any exist? How easy are they to spot?

 

[Modelworks]

The history is there, you can deny it all you want, but its not going to help your case.

Your right. The history clearly states that those who eat lead have health problems from it.