"blowin in the wind"

[Chapped Lips]

i have only started the smelting aspect and i do this outside......as i wait for my stick-on's to melt my mind wanders......actually my whole body does as i roll around on my mechanics chair avoiding the wind change and the smokey cloud from my pot......
my questions are....what's in the wispy whitish cloud that makes this something to avoid?....inhale or otherwise......
and.....if there are dangerous airborne substances we don't want on our skin or in our lungs.....what about our surrounding areas?.....do we consider that these substances are settling on our carport surfaces....the soil in our yards....the sides of a building(garage).....our wives rose's which she picks and brings inside.....the grass where children/pets play......or am i being way to careful and thoughtful????
is the answer truly blowin in the wind?

[DukeInFlorida]

Don't breathe ANY of that smoke. No good will come of it.

I never worry about where smoke settles. Heck, the factories in the Midwest don't seem to care where their smoke gets sent to (Maine)....

Just stay out of the smoke (respirators are made for that!)

[KYCaster]

You're melting and burning various paints, plastics, rubber, adhesives, solvents, tobacco products, McDonald's french fries, dog pee and other hazardous materials, most of them much more toxic than lead ever thought about being.

I'd recommend that you move your smelting and casting operations away from areas where your family eats or plays. Ideally, while working with lead, you should wear an apron, smock or coveralls (and a hat) and remove them and your shoes before entering your house. Whether or not you think that lead is hazardous, take a few simple precautions and you don't have to worry about poisoning your wife and kids.

And rest assured that if you live anywhere near an urban area, you and your family are getting your full USRDA of asbestos, PCB's, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone, insecticides, hormones and various other carcinogens and harmful substances from the air you breath and the food you eat...you just have to put things in perspective.

So, enjoy your hobby and don't get too obsessed with any possible hazards involved, they're very easily controlled...you're gonna die from something anyway...might as well be something you like.... :violin:

Jerry

[lwknight]

Thats tellin it like it is.
Every effort you make to avoid some of lifes daily poisons could add days to your life.
A little more , a little less won't really matter as much as the matter of habit over the long term.