The form of the metal matters. The elemental lead in leaded solder is not nearly as harmful as the lead in various compounds like tetraethyl lead anti-knock additive for gasoline, or the compounds used in leaded paint.
About mercury, consider that it's still widely used in dental amalgam.
> A lot more brave than I am, even if it is lead free.
Nobody who knows what they are doing works with lead-free solder for manual rework or repair. It needs a higher temperature, flows poorly, and produces an ugly matte surface, upon cooling, that looks like a cold solder joint even when the joint is actually good.
I can almost guarantee you that Woz is using nothing but 60/40 Sn/Pb in that shot. :)
Nah, Woz is/was geeky enough to be using 63/37 (eutectic). (If you've never used it, it's wonderful stuff -- nary a cold joint to be seen, unless you really put some effort into it.)
About mercury, consider that it's still widely used in dental amalgam.
FDA article on amalgam: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedur...
> A lot more brave than I am, even if it is lead free.
Nobody who knows what they are doing works with lead-free solder for manual rework or repair. It needs a higher temperature, flows poorly, and produces an ugly matte surface, upon cooling, that looks like a cold solder joint even when the joint is actually good.
I can almost guarantee you that Woz is using nothing but 60/40 Sn/Pb in that shot. :)