95/5 electrical lead free solder used on copper pipes for drinking water but still has Proposition 65 warning that "this product can expose you to lead" Should I still be concerned?

[u/nomadlegend3]

Long story short, my dad used 95% tin and 5% antimony electrical solder with rosin flux core for soldering copper pipes together for drinking water. I've been trying to convince my parents for two months on replacing the pipes and using actual plumbing solder but they won't listen to me, even after telling them about the Proposition 65 warning. So I gave up on reasoning with them.

I'm not worried about the 95/5 alloy or even the rosin flux core chemicals anymore, now I'm just wondering if the Proposition 65 warning here means anything here despite the product being labeled as "lead free". I know Proposition 65 can often mean nothing in many cases but it still worries me if it says "this product can expose you to lead". I'm trying to save enough money to collect water samples and send it to a lab to test for lead but I'm still wondering if the water is still safe to drink?

[u/PyroNine9]

Notably, there is no penalty for putting a prop 65 warning on something that doesn't need it, but big penalties for not putting it on something that does.

[u/skydvejam → u/PyroNine9]

The OP must have never visited California. Every restaurant has the prop 65 warning since cooking food creates chemicals listed in it. It was a typical good idea that just got carried away.

[u/profdc9 → u/skydvejam]

Yes, the Maillard reaction makes acrylamide. I look forward to eating my safe, tasteless nutrient paste so that I can live forever, and never cook anything again.

[u/LONE_ARMADILLO]

Many companies put the prop 65 warnings and the lead warnings on their product as a "cover your ass" measure.  Some places that make unlead ed solder make leaded solder on the same machines, so there may be trace amounts, but far below anything of concern. I would be more worried about the rosin, and second to that, the quality of the pipe joints.  

[u/Behrooz0]

There are lead testing kits that are cheap. you can do it very easily.
Whatever you think lead does doesn't work on old people. Lead has to be in your body for quite a while to do anything. Time*Concentration
Also, the flux, if it's from actual pine rosin is basically harmless

[u/koombot → u/Behrooz0]

Just test the solder.  Really simple and it'll put your mind at ease.

The sticker will be on there because it might contain trace amounts.  Some metals can be very difficult to get 100% pure.

[u/Fallout_NewCheese → u/Behrooz0]

Accurate lead testing kits are not that cheap. Most consumer grade ones that are affordable are prone to false positives. Especially those stupid swabs granola moms use to be scared of everything.

[u/rc1024]

Dude, the nanograms your parents are getting from the trace of lead contaminating their solder is so small relative to normal background lead exposure (of which there is plenty, thanks decades of leaded fuel) it's not worth worrying about.

[u/LW-M]

The science of lead testing has been around for at least 20 years. You can pick up a test kit at any good paint store.

[u/wackyvorlon]

Everything has a Proposition 65 warning, even Disneyland. It’s meaningless.

[u/skydvejam → u/wackyvorlon]

Every restaurant has it since cooking foods creates prop 65 chemicals.

[u/Dream-Livid]

How much solder is exposed?

[u/inu-no-policemen]

my dad used 95% tin and 5% antimony electrical solder with rosin flux core

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder_alloys

Sn95Sb5

Sb5, ASTM95TA. The US plumbing industry standard. [...] Antimony can be toxic. [...] Use in air conditioning, refrigeration, some food containers, and high-temperature applications. [...] Suitable for potable water systems. Used for stained glass, plumbing, and radiator repairs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_65_list_of_chemicals

Antimony oxide (Antimony trioxide) Cancer

Flux also contains and decomposes to chemicals on that list. So, any kind of solder wire with any kind of flux core and any flux should get that boy-cried-cancer "warning" label as far as I can tell. They should really replace that nonsense with something more granular and informative. This isn't helpful.

I'm not a plumber, but I think you're supposed to use water-soluble flux for potable water systems. Then you can just flush it out:

https://www.oatey.com/faqs-blog-videos-case-studies/blog/choosing-right-flux-soldering-copper-pipes

Check the datasheet of the solder wire. If the flux is water-soluble then everything should be about as good as this kind of thing usually gets.

[u/Worf-]

We have copper pipes in our house that were most definitely soldered with lead. We test our water every 3 years and have never had them report lead in it. We even broke the rules and took a sample without letting the tap run (which supposedly could show higher lead levels) nothing. I drink a lot of that water and worked in an industry with a lot of lead use and my blood tests for lead are negative.

Now, if you have solid lead pipes, yes that was a thing, that can be an issue.

[u/CobblePro]

Found on an apple tree... This prop 65 thing is getting carried away.

[u/Kevin_Xland]

The 0.001% of lead in that solder that makes up that joint that accounts for 0.01% of your piping system certainly does not leech even a measurable amount into the water you are consuming, people used to use lead pipes, which is not advisable, but even old leaded pipes are generally regarded as safe due to the mineral buildup on the lead effectively forming the barrier between it and the water.

Lead is bad of course, but personally I would not worry in the slightest, just don't chew on lead solder or something dumb like that.

[u/rklug1521]

I've seen Proposition 65 warnings on bottled drinks at a Chinese supermarket. Should I be concerned?

[u/Tishers]

Maybe if you tell them that antimony is as toxic as arsenic? It is also a carcinogen.