Legal requirements and standards for fume extraction
Because of the threat to health, extractors must be used to remove fumes from solders with rosin based flux. These are subject to a number of legal requirements which cover three main areas; the extractors used, the safety of the workers using the equipment, and the spent extractor filters, as these may be classed as hazardous waste.
The safety and suitability of the extractors is the responsibility of the manufacturer. The Occupational Safety systems in the US vary from state to state. The major providers for the Occupational Exposure limits are ACGIH, OHSHA, and NIOSH.
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes "Threshold Limit Values" (TLVs). Threshold Limit Values are defined as the exposure limit "to which it is believed nearly all workers can be exposed day after day for working lifetime without ill effect" ACGIH-TLVs do not have any legal force in the US, they are only recommendations. OHSA defines regulatory limits. However, ACGIH-TLVs are a very common TLV setting in the US and many other countries with most US companies using the current ACGIH-TLV levels or other internal and more protective limits.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publish the Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL). These regulate the amount or concentration of a substance in the air, and are enforceable. OHSA currently publishes around 500 Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for various forms of approximately 300 chemical substances, most of which are used widely in industrial settings.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has the statutory responsibility for recommending exposure levels that are protective to workers. NIOSH has identified Recommended Exposure Levels (RELs) for around 700 hazardous substances. While these limits have no legal force, NIOSH recommends their limits via criteria documents to OSHA and other OEL setting institutions.
The safety of the workers using the equipment is the responsibility of the employer. The role of the extractor, usually described as local exhaust ventilation (LEV), is to capture harmful dusts, fumes or vapors which would otherwise pose a health hazard to the operators. Legislation is in place in most countries to prevent exposure to such harmful substances and to ensure that equipment installed in the workplace is performing correctly.
As the solder fume extractor captures particulate, fume or vapor its spent filters may be classified as hazardous waste; end users are responsible for disposing of this safely and in line with appropriate legislation.
Managing Solder Fume Extraction. Date published: 24th July 2015 by Newark