Solder iron contamination

Solid wastes that contain lead are produced primarily as a result of domestic ore production and ammunition use. Other sources include solder, weights and ballasts, bearing metals, and iron and steel production. These sources of lead-contaminated waste are concentrated primarily in landfills. 

For eutectic Sn-Pb wave applications, the rate of dissolution of iron is very low, which ensures good wear and corrosion resistance of parts within a wave machine. However, with lead-free alloys, the Fe contamination was measured to be as much as 10 times greater than for a eutectic Sn-Pb wave [33]. If however, the wave solder machine is modified with proper wear coatings, the contamination of a solder bath of Sn-Bi-Ag-Sb, utilized in production of electrical light ballast was 0.002% Fe after one year of operation [33]. 

---