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Everyone, I admit I might be getting a bit on the overthinking side, but after reading all that's available online on the matter, I am starting to get a bit worried.

I had my home renovated and (as I am not an electrical guy myself) hired a contractor to do all wiring and stuff. After he finished his job, I found those little shiny metal debris everywhere, literally - on floor, on kitchen countertops, in the wardrobe, on bathroom shelves, etc. (if you ask why there - I kind of have an interesting hidden LED lights anywhere at home). Don't get me wrong - I am not talking about tons of debris, but they are numerous and visible enough to make me do some research.

Fast forward everything I read, it turned out to be 60/40 solder wire debris, which also turned out in purple when using the lead detection kits I got on them.

Here comes the thing, in general the opinion is that such splatter should be fine, as long as you wash your hands if touching it and don't eat it, but I just can imagine the amount of tiny invisible with naked eye particles left after I wiped (a few times) the visible ones, so technically it could accumulate on the kitchenware. And indeed I am talking about kitchen cupboards, countertop, wardrobe, etc. which had traces of it.

Is this a real and valid scenario, or I am just an unlucky renovated, but potentially toxic home? Disclaimer - I live in Europe and do not have OCD. Any advise, comments from you pro folks, would be appreciated. Thanks.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Look at it this way - your contractor handles the stuff every other day, and presumably he's still alive and sufficiently in possession of his faculties that he's capable of performing the technical job you hired him for. You'll be fine. \$\endgroup\$
    – brhans
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 1:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ It’s a bit unusual for an electrician to do that much field soldering; solderless connectors are more common. Also, that’s poor soldering technique if excess solder is splattered all over, and poor workmanship to leave their mess for the customer to clean up. Sweep it up, discard (optionally take it to your hazardous waste recycler), and maybe don’t hire that contractor for future work. But I wouldn’t worry about your health. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mark Leavitt
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 3:32
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    \$\begingroup\$ Two questions 1) Why was soldering required to begin with 2) Why was it done with leaded solder? Hasn't lead-free solder been available and thus leaded solder banned in EU for more than 15 years now? \$\endgroup\$
    – Justme
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 6:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ I got this hidden LED fancy lights all over the home, they assured me that soldering when installing them would be more reliable. As far as the ban is concerned, it is a tin lead wire 60/40, you can freely buy this in EU everywhere. \$\endgroup\$
    – DIYguy
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 11:19
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    \$\begingroup\$ Strictly speaking you only need to use lead-free solder when dealing with CE marked products. Someone's home and the installation there is not a CE marked product. If the one who did the soldering also delivered the products that they soldered into, then that's a problem for them, since they aren't allowed to put something on market containing lead. \$\endgroup\$
    – Lundin
    Commented May 2, 2023 at 9:10

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Don't eat it!
Not good in food or water. Not safe to breath if the particles are very very small. Sweep up all the pieces you can find. My work has solder on the floors.

I have built things with lead solder from 1965. Years ago I held the solder in my mouth, which I stopped doing in the 1980. We all drank water from copper pipes soldered with lead. I am just fine, have a third hand and my memory is gone. (joke) Fifty years of using solder 8 hours a day made me old.

I think you are OK but we now live in a, better safe than sorry world.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Did you stop holding the solder in your mouth after you grew a third hand? :) Sounds quite handy to have when soldering! \$\endgroup\$
    – Lundin
    Commented May 2, 2023 at 9:50
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I found those little shiny metal debris everywhere, literally - on floor, on kitchen countertops, in the wardrobe, on bathroom shelves, etc.

In case you are talking about actual splatter, as in small, silvery metallic splashes, those can easily be removed with a knife - if they are stuck to the surface at all, if not then vacuum cleaning might be all you need. Most often dropped solder forms small balls which can be easily cleaned up. Wash your hands after handling it. Mop with a wet rag if you are very concerned and that's about it.

If there's large amounts of it, it should be recycled as electronic waste.

but I just can imagine the amount of tiny invisible with naked eye particles left after I wiped

Lead is pretty much the heaviest metal of all. Lead particles will quickly fall to the floor and stay there - together with all other equally harmful chemicals coming from clothes/plastics etc. But unlike the harmful dust from clothes, lead will not fly around in the gentle summer breeze - you will not breathe it in, it won't move around easily.

In terms of "small particles" it is more the vaporized solder flux you have to be worried about, which can causes allergies. But that's only a concern during the actual soldering - don't breathe the fumes if you can avoid it.

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