Posted By Michael Hayward One of the main problems is related to t6he rosin based (colophony) fumes which are well known as a cause of occupationally induced asthma. I suggest you look at local exhaust ventilation at bench level, or you can get soldering irons with built in exhust ventilation at the tip, where the fume is vented away to a filter unit located at some suitable position

Posted By Gary L Hi I would suggest that you consider the degree of exposure to the fume. If the operator is only exposed for very short periods then a full bench mounted LEV may be excessive & tip extraction would be better. If solder use is very infrequent then good mechanical ventilation in the area may suffice; however you would have to bear in mind the Maximum Exposure Limits of 0.05 mg m-3 (over an eight-hour reference period); and 0.15 mg m-3 (over a 15-minute reference period). Early indications of exposure are watery and prickly eyes, runny or blocked nose, a sore throat, coughing, wheezing or breathing difficulties. These symptoms may start within minutes of exposure or be delayed for a number of hours. Rosin-based solder flux and its fume can also cause dermatitis so suitable precautions to avoid skin contact should therefore be taken. Hope this helps

Posted By Karen L Duggan Thank you all for your input. Due to the fact that this particular process is to be very short term I feel that investment in LEV is not reasonably practicable. Therefore I have been concerned to segregate the operator by virtue of PPE and to use the least offensive flux. This has been part of the dilemma : selection of the right breathing PPE and a choice between two rosin-free fluxes, both of which have significant quantities of zinc chloride. My instinct tells me that I would still need to measure fume concentrations after PPE was provided to ensure the risk was suitably reduced?