Question: I have an old laptop at my disposal that has a malfunctioning HDD in it. I would really enjoy taking the drive apart and looking at it.
However, I would like to ensure that I am not going to end up with lead poisoning or any thing like that.
So, my question is, are there any health hazards associated with the contents of an internal HDD (that was placed in a computer manufactured in 2004)?
P.S.I am not worried about doing damage to the hard drive or the computer, just me!
Answer: No problem.
There could be a small amount of lead in the solder (if the soldering dates from before ROHS compliancy), but it’s locked up in the material. It won’t escape unless you take a Dremel or drill to the printed circuit board, or heat it in any way.And even then the amount is so tiny… You will catch far more lead from air-pollution by car-exhausts if you live near a highway or in a city.
Same goes for chemicals in the PCB and/or electrical components. As long as you don’t cut or drill into them it’s no problem at all. ?
People who assemble these things don’t take any special precautions either. And they handle far more of them than you will ever do.