Waste and pollution watch group EcoWaste Coalition has called the attention to the use of lead solder wire by cellphone repair shops, which can be inhaled by technicians, their customers, and passersby.
The group pressed for the observance of safety precautions, including the use of lead-free solder, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent signing of the Republic Act 11058, or the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act.
“While we do appreciate their role in reducing e-waste by prolonging the life of e-gadgets, we are concerned that lead solder fumes are exposing repair technicians to hazardous emissions that can harm their health and those of others, including customers who are often seen watching, sometimes in the company of young children, while their phones are being fixed,” said EcoWaste Coalition e-waste campaigner Primo Morillo.
The inhalation of lead solder fumes and the ingestion of lead from a contaminated surface are potential exposure routes, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized.
“It’s very important that air pollution from soldering activities, especially in an enclosed space is appropriately addressed,” added Morillo,
In line with R.A. 11058, the group urged the Department of Labor and Employment, through the Occupational Safety and Health Center, to conduct training programs in collaboration with shopping mall management that will train cellphone repair technicians on safe soldering work practices.
The group made the proposal after learning about the widespread use of lead solder by technicians in cellphone repair shops that are often located inside shopping malls.
Based on information gathered from cellphone repair technicians, the group obtained six samples of soldering alloys from electronic supplies stores that are commonly used in cellphone repair.
All six samples of solder wire had lead in the range of 4.62 to 67.15 percent as per X-Ray Fluorescence chemical analysis. Further, none of the samples provided safety information about the usage of lead-based solder.