Electroless copper plating exists in almost every PCB manufacturing company. In this process, there are many hazards. However, not every worker fully understands the harm of chemical copper plating to the human body in PCB manufacturing. To what extent, here, for the health of our colleagues, I have specially prepared this article. Friends in this area will understand the hazards of electroless copper plating to the human body. 1. Understanding of electroless copper plating
Eletcroless Plating Copper (Eletcroless Plating Copper) is usually called copper sinking or PTH is an autocatalytic redox reaction. Firstly, it is treated with an activator to make the surface of the insulating substrate adsorb a layer of active particles. Metal palladium particles are usually used (palladium is a very expensive metal, and the price is high and rising. In order to reduce costs, there are practical colloids abroad. The copper process is running), copper ions are first reduced on these active metal palladium particles, and these reduced metal copper nuclei themselves become the catalytic layer of copper ions, so that the reduction reaction of copper continues on these new copper crystals. On the nuclear surface.
Electroless copper plating has been widely used in our PCB manufacturing industry. At present, electroless copper plating is most commonly used for PCB hole metallization.
Second, the performance of chemical copper plating harm to people
Although many friends say that long-term exposure to electroless copper plating may cause cancer, because formaldehyde, the main component of electroless copper, is a carcinogen. Of course, long-term exposure will increase the risk system.
The current situation seems that there is no very direct evidence that electroless copper plating can cause cancer. However, I believe that many friends have seen this situation. Friends who are engaged in the chemical copper process have lost a lot of hair. Yes, many friends have bald hair. What is the reason? We have no explanation for the time being. Friends who have these information, please send the relevant information to us through the PCB resource network (pcbres.com), and we will announce it here ,First, thank you.
Third, the harm of electroless copper plating to people
No matter what kind of chemical substance, long-term and excessive exposure to electricity will affect the human body. Friends in the PCB copper plating process, due to long-term exposure to the chemical elements of electricity, the harm is particularly great. The hazards are mainly reflected in several aspects: heavy metals and toxic substances and toxic gases.
In the PCB chemical copper process, because the hands and the body are in contact with too many heavy metals, through physical contact, through the hands, mouth, nose and other cavities, all kinds of heavy metals are brought into the human body. After long-term accumulation and precipitation, the toxicity becomes more and more serious. .
Toxic substances, although many companies now claim to be green and environmentally friendly products, due to the domestic process technology and the unscrupulous boss for cost-saving reasons, in the production process, there are often very few protection facilities for workers. Even in some enterprises, the protection facilities in this area are zero. Workers are exposed to the electroplating gas for a long time. Don’t say that the smell is harmful to the human body. Eye irritation has a great impact on the human body.
One of the hazards of electroless copper plating to the body is particularly serious, that is, the human health hazards and waste disposal problems caused by cyanide copper plating. Although the cyanide copper plating solution has been reduced a lot in the current process, it is Part of the process in many companies is still used in large quantities.
Cyanide is a colorless gas with a smell similar to almonds. The English chemical formula is: (CN)2
With mild cyanide poisoning, the patient has symptoms of fatigue, headache, dizziness, chest tightness, and mucosal irritation; severely poisoned patients have difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, convulsions, and eventually death due to paralysis of the respiratory center.
Chloride refers to cyanide, especially a compound with a cyano group (CN). Cyanide has a daunting toxicity. Most inorganic cyanide is highly toxic and highly toxic. A very small amount of cyanide ( A few milligrams per kilogram of body weight will poison people and animals in a short period of time. Water with a very low cyanide concentration (<0.05mg/L) will also poison fish and other aquatic organisms and cause crop yields to decrease. Cases of acute poisoning of fish, livestock and even humans caused by cyanide pollution in water bodies have been reported at home and abroad. These incidents are caused by the discharge of large amounts of cyanide into water bodies in a short period of time. Therefore, in the industrial production process, strict control must be taken. The use and discharge of cyanide. In particular, there must be complete sewage treatment facilities to reduce the external discharge of cyanide.
After reading the above about the toxicity of cyanide, everyone should pay more attention to it. If the process of your company uses copper cyanide plating for a long time, then you must carefully consider whether you need to call the boss. Improve or think of other ways to avoid this hazard.
Fourth, how to prevent the harm of electroless copper plating to people
This work must be done by someone. If our friends are engaged in this work, and for some reason, there is no way to leave, then, during work, we must take some necessary measures to protect ourselves Up.
At work, if you have a gas mask, it’s best to wear it. Now, all the gas masks on the market are those with eyes and mouth and nose. The price is not expensive. Friends here, definitely If there is no other way to ask companies to buy these masks, then they must be worn for their own health.
Wear gloves. Some rubber gloves can effectively isolate toxic substances. Once you enter the workshop, you must wear them.
In short, during work, we must wear protective equipment, not the environment in the workshop directly our body.
Another point is that no matter what, don’t work in such an environment for a long time. You will have to change to another job within two or three years at most. If you do these jobs for a long time, the harm of electroless copper plating to people is unreasonable. , In the end, the gain is not worth the loss.