Hazardous Substances
You may need to use rosin fluxes for metal soldering in the electrical and electronics industry.
Flux is a sticky liquid or paste used to react with and remove compounds from the surface of the connection to improve the flow of the molten solder and to prevent oxidation during the heating cycle.
Rosin flux may cause health problems if fumes are inhaled or if flux gets on your skin. Fumes may cause irritation such as watery, prickly eyes, running or blocked nose, sore throat, coughing, wheezing, tight chest and breathlessness. Skin contact may cause itchy skin and dermatitis. Skin contact usually happens when employees get flux on their hands while applying it to metal surfaces before soldering.
Your employer should control the health risks associated with rosin flux by applying risk control steps in the following order of importance:
eliminating soldering completely by crimping or twisting electrical wire connections if possible;
substituting fluxes that do not contain rosin if possible, or using rosin core solder where the rosin is contained in a fine tube of solder, which is less likely to result in skin contact during hand soldering;
extracting rosin fumes by a local extraction exhaust system or a fume cabinet connected to an exhaust system;
limiting the amount of time an employee spends doing soldering work; and
providing personal protective equipment and clothing, such as suitable gloves and protective clothing where there is risk of skin contact, and eye protection if there is risk of splash from liquid flux.
