☠ Cadmium

serious

Where you meet it: AgCdO relay and contactor contacts · cadmium-plated hardware and connector shells on older mil/aero gear · CdTe thin-film solar panels · NiCd batteries · older CRT phosphors · some old solders

What you need to know

Cadmium is a carcinogen and a kidney and bone toxin.
Cadmium fume causes acute chemical pneumonitis that can be fatal, with a deceptive delayed onset — you feel fine for hours.
Cadmium-plated hardware has a slightly iridescent yellow-gold or dull silver chromate finish. On mil connector shells, assume it.
Refiners explicitly warn that AgCdO contacts require professional handling.

The rule: NEVER grind, burn, torch or braze cadmium-plated or AgCdO material, and don't inhale the black contact dust.

Components this applies to

Precious-Metal Sputtering Targets Other · $32000–50000/lb Au ~454 g/lb — the target is solid metalPt 138 g in a 2 in × 0.125 in discPd 77 g in a 2 in × 0.125 in disc S Silver contacts (switches, breakers, contactors) Contacts & relays · $400–550/lb Ag 180–400 g/lb of clean cut contacts S Silver-Graphite Brushes & Slip Rings Contacts & relays · $150–400/lb Ag 40–95% by weightCu pigtail + commutator segmentsBase electrographite S Silver-Oxide Button Cells Other · $40–120/lb Ag ~30–35% by weight ≈ 150 g/lbBase Zn anode ~25%Base LR/AG alkaline S Thick-Film Hybrid Microcircuits ICs & chips · $15–90/lb Au 1.5–4 g/lb packaged; 5–10 g/lb stripped substratesAg 0–15 g/lb on Ag/Pd conductor variantsPd present in Ag/Pd pastes S Aerospace Connectors & Backshells Contacts & relays · $25–70/lb Au 0.3–0.8 g/lb complete; ~3.6 g/lb de-populated contactsCu ~80 g/lbBase Backshells: ~0 g Au/lb A Mil Circular Connectors (D38999/MS) Contacts & relays · $25–60/lb Au 0.20–0.50 g/lb whole; 2.5–4.0 g/lb de-pinned contactsCu ~80 g/lbBase 70–85% Al 6061-T6 shell A Relays Contacts & relays · $3–10/lb Ag 2–20 g/lb of whole relayAu trace B RF Coaxial Connectors (SMA/N/BNC/TNC) Connectors & pins · $15–35/lb Au 0.10–0.40 g/lb (SMA); 0.01–0.05 g/lb (N/BNC)Cu ~190 g/lbAg trace B Thermostats, Snap Discs & Limit Switches Contacts & relays · $25–120/lb Ag 0.4–1.6 g/lb as whole discs; 408–431 g/lb as harvested contactsBase bimetal steel discBase Hg ~3–4 g per bulb thermostat ampoule B Automotive relays & fuse boxes Automotive · $3–10/lb Ag 25–80 mg per mini ISO relayCu 1–3 g coil + terminals per relay C Ceramic disc capacitors Capacitors · $20–70/lb Ag 4–10 g/lbPd 0.05–0.3 g/lb C Industrial Control Boards (PLC/DCS/SCADA) Boards · $3–12/lb Au 0.05–0.20 g/lb typical I/O; 0.25–0.60 g/lb CPU and backplanes; 0.6–1.5 g/lb 1970s–80s ceramic-DIP DCSAg 1–8 g per relay moduleCu ~113 g/lb C Semiconductor Wafers & Fab Tooling Other · $20–200/lb Au 0.0045 g/lb generic research-fab wafer scrapAu 7.4 g/lb for 1 µm gold-backed wafersBase quartz and SiC boats: zero metal C Solar cells & panels Other · $8–25/lb Ag 3–8 g/lb of bare cellsBase 2–3 kg aluminium frame C Laser Printer Boards, Fusers & Toner Chips Boards · $10–60/lb Au 0.01–0.04 g per formatter board ≈ 0.045 g/lbAu 0.0005–0.002 g per toner CRUM chip ≈ 0.3–0.8 g/lb of chipsBase Fuser: no precious metal whatsoever D

All 25 hazards →