[sdiy] drilling pcb boards...sore throat

[Ian Fritz]

At 11:29 AM 10/17/2008, John Blacet wrote:
>Dust is always a bigger problem since it gets deeper in the lungs...
>
>http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.35439/k.7DEB/Facts_About_Fiberglass.htm
>
>The link is about fiberglass insulation but this is probably safer than
>the fine dust from drilling!

Hmmm ... here's some of what that report says:
------------
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reported that epidemiological 
studies of glass fiber manufacturing workers indicate "glass fibers do not 
appear to increase the risk of respiratory system cancer". The NAS 
supported the exposure limit of 1.0 f/cc that has been the industry 
recommendation since the early 1990s.

The IARC working group revised their previous classification of glass wool 
being a possible carcinogen. It is currently considered not classifiable as 
a human carcinogen. Studies done in the past 15 years since the previous 
report was released, do not provide enough evidence to link this material 
to any cancer risk.
--------------

It may be true that dust goes deeper into the lungs.  But it's also true 
that the fiberglass is embedded in the expoxy, so very little -- if any -- 
of it is free fiberglass.

If we went just by a material's constituents, then we wouldn't be allowed 
to drink water or eat table salt. And if our lungs couldn't handle a bit of 
dust now and then, we wouldn't be here.  :-)

I'm not telling anyone to breath the dust.  But I have been for many years 
without any evidence of problems.

Again, where is the data on fiber-epoxy dust?

   Ian