You're not one of those RoHS deniers are you? I hate to break it to you, but EVERYTHING made in the last ten years is made with lead-free solder and ta-da: it all works perfectly well.
Over the past few years, pretty much everything critical has been built with standard SnPb solder under various RoHS exemptions. Most of those exemptions have recently expired or are expiring soon. It is far too soon to pat yourself on the back over the apparent absence of adverse consequences.
Agreed, but I'd add that the transition period coincided with the switch to water based flux processes, and the headlong rush to China. All of those things involved their own sets of birthing pains.
The issue is whether solar panels containing lead are going to be the same as solder containing lead. I'm going to go with "no, not exactly" as solder is an OTC consumable that gets thrown around during DIY, fragments dropped on the floor where pets and toddlers can chew on them, it gets heated and inhaled, etc.
Solar panels are not quite the same. No doubt lead inside the sealed unit will cause implications for safe disposal; but then lots of things have special disposal, e.g. batteries.
It's only $44, shipped! It's enough lead to measurably lower the IQ of ten million infants.
The idea that out-of-control EU regulators prevent anyone, individual or industry, from acquiring and using elemental lead products is just another libertarian bugaboo that routinely pops up here on HN.
