Cadmium

Jewelry Discussion
1

The only solders that contain cadmium are Easy low carat gold
solders (9K-12K) and Extra Easy Silver Solder, as in both cases
they are used to lower the melting temperature of the alloy.
Cadmium smeared on the face isn’t good for your skin, but isn’t
toxic. When you vaporize the metal, it is quite dangerous. It
is carcinogenic and pretty nasty stuff!

Marshall Jones
@Marshall_Jones

@Marshall_Jones

2

Our solutions to the problem of cadmium in solder :

  1. send your old unknown solder back to the refiner with your
    scrap

  2. specify “cadmium-free solder” the next time you order. (I
    don’t think Imperial Smelting, who we use in Canada, even makes
    solder with cadmium any more.)

  3. do all your soldering under a fume hood; even fluxes and
    fire-scale preventives give off fumes when heated.

Andrew Goss

3 
   The only solders that contain cadmium are Easy low carat
gold solders (9K-12K)

dear marshall, this is simply not true. many refiners , solder
suppliers have high karat solders containing cadmium. and there
are easy solders that do not contain cadmium. best regards, geo
fox

4 
The only solders that contain cadmium are Easy low carat gold
solders (9K-12K) and Extra Easy Silver Solder, as in both
cases they are used to lower the melting temperature of the
alloy. Cadmium smeared on the face isn't good for your skin,
but isn't toxic.  When you vaporize the metal, it is quite
dangerous.  It is carcinogenic and pretty nasty stuff!

Sorry to butt in here but some suppliers I use have cadmium
based solders in 14 karat also…even in 14k hard. The best thing
is to specify cadmium free solder when ordering. I know Stuller
stamps their solder with cf (cadmium free). It costs a little
more, but better safe than sorry. Ken

5

Hi Charles,

Did a search on the web:

http://atsdr1.atsdr.cdc.gov:8080/ToxProfiles/phs8808.html

and

http://www.healthfuture.com/cadmium.html

They state that in USA at the moment 100 micrograms per cubic
meter air is allowed for Cd fumes, but that OSHA is going to
reduce that to 1 or 5 micrograms.

regards, Markus