Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

[Calchaqui]

I dunno understand why those long hair scientifics say recycling mobos' hazardous to health

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JZey9GJQP0

I've un/soldered for thousand hours in my life, and I "thought" it was not that hazardous, meaning the main (only?) heavy metal on a mobo is LEAD, and it evaporates > 900 F , I've doubt we reach those temperatures.

CRT tubes and batteries are another story, but mobos? am i wrong :S mates?

[mariushm]

Re: Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

Older motherboards have different chemicals on them, they're impregnated with flame retardant stuff, which can turn to some not so good gasses when heated up.

Then it's not just about lead, they could also mean cadmium and other substances that were used in the past to bind the pins of various chips to the ceramic or whatever substrate they used...

They may also break without knowing small fibres or chunks or fiber glass from the boards which can damage your lungs in the long term if they get in you.

So yeah, you're safe as you're just desoldering and soldering stuff - they're literraly melting the whole board to get the copper layer or the gold from the chip contacts, so when everything burns toxic substances can become "airborn".

[acstech]

Re: Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

Exactly. There are various harmful substances in these boards. Soldering in some capacitors is one thing, but literally melting it down to recycle it is something completely different. That is best left to the professionals.

[Calchaqui]

Re: Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

Older motherboards have different chemicals on them, they're impregnated with flame retardant stuff, which can turn to some not so good gasses when heated up.

Then it's not just about lead, they could also mean cadmium and other substances that were used in the past to bind the pins of various chips to the ceramic or whatever substrate they used...

They may also break without knowing small fibres or chunks or fiber glass from the boards which can damage your lungs in the long term if they get in you.

So yeah, you're safe as you're just desoldering and soldering stuff - they're literraly melting the whole board to get the copper layer or the gold from the chip contacts, so when everything burns toxic substances can become "airborn".

So, desoldering and soldering stuff from mobos is "safe", and heating up the whole pcb is hazardous. I didnt know that the pcb itself contains the contaminant stuff

[Topcat]

Re: Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

I usually make landfill out of them...the local recycler wants me to pay to dispose of boards, as I tend to have a lot of them. They harvest/salvage them and make money, so I'll be damned if they're going to be paid to take them....so they go in the dumpster. I'd give them to them free, but I refuse to pay them. Most recyclers I've ever encountered take obsolete electronics at no charge, some even pay YOU for them....

FWIW, I have thrown a couple of them in my wood furnace....they gave off some really cool colorful flames!!

[370forlife]

Re: Recycling Mobos, Hazardous to Health!?

I usually make landfill out of them...the local recycler wants me to pay to dispose of boards, as I tend to have a lot of them. They harvest/salvage them and make money, so I'll be damned if they're going to be paid to take them....so they go in the dumpster. I'd give them to them free, but I refuse to pay them. Most recyclers I've ever encountered take obsolete electronics at no charge, some even pay YOU for them....

FWIW, I have thrown a couple of them in my wood furnace....they gave off some really cool colorful flames!!

Just like throwing away tires. Just gotta do it one at a time.