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Thermal compound paste: health risks?

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs - Thermal compound paste: health risks?

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case-assembler   08-18-2009 at 08:45:19 PM

Are there health risks in working with thermal compound paste (the stuff that goes between CPU and heatsink)? E.g. I remember years back they would sometimes put mercury in that stuff, which of course is a major health risk when you breathe it.

The packages of current products I have seen list serious warnings about swallowing the stuff or touching your eyes with, all of which is obvious, but I wonder about fumes and skin contact.

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Bronze CPUs badge jsc   08-18-2009 at 08:59:55 PM
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Well, yes. You are not supposed to eat it or rub it into your navel.

Fumes? You are going use so little that fumes should not matter. And skin contact? If you are applying the stuff correctly, the will be no skin contact.

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case-assembler   08-18-2009 at 09:19:27 PM
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jsc wrote :

Fumes? You are going use so little that fumes should not matter.


Did they stop using mercury? Because that stuff definitely produced fumes, and a small droplet of that, however tiny, is enough to worry about. Dentists have this problem all the time.

jsc wrote :

And skin contact? If you are applying the stuff correctly, the will be no skin contact.


OK, I'll be extra careful when opening/closing the tube so as not to get in contact with it.

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fazers_on_stun   08-18-2009 at 10:44:47 PM
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case-assembler wrote :

Did they stop using mercury? Because that stuff definitely produced fumes, and a small droplet of that, however tiny, is enough to worry about. Dentists have this problem all the time.


OK, I'll be extra careful when opening/closing the tube so as not to get in contact with it.



IIRC, Artic Silver 5 uses, um, silver :). Actually finely ground silver so as to fill in the micro-gaps between the IHS & cooler.

I'd think that if some consumer product contained mercury, they would have to put a warning label on it.

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AKM880   08-18-2009 at 10:49:41 PM
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Well most of today's TiM's come in a syringe so I don't think you'll get it on your skin if your careful.

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