Lead contamination

[shotchas]

I was about to do a cleaning run on my pot still after having done a few stripping runs on a whisky wash.
In the neck of the boiler was stuff like silver paint smeared inside. I rubbed my finger around the "paint" like substance and it was liquid to the touch, just like paint.
When I made the flange to go on the bottom of the column I used soft - plumbers solder as my map torch could not seem to handle the 2" copper drawing all the heat away. I figured because the solder was on the outside and not in the vapour path it would be ok. I use a silicon gasket between the keg and column.
This has made me shit scared that a vapour leak at the joint, maybe because the gasket had slipped, has reacted with the lead in the solder and contaminated all my product.
Would lead at the bottom of the column carry over in the vapour? The column is 1,100mm high.
I was just about to do a spirit run on 18L of whisky low wines, but now I'm going to cut the flange off and re solder a new one with silver.
Is it possible the low wines are contaminated with lead and that the lead would carry over into a spirit run?
I've been working on this whisky for about a month and it would break my heart to dump it all now, but obviously I don't want lead poisoning either.
I don't have photos of the smearing as I cleaned it off before I thought of taking any, but here is a photo of the flange.

[MacStill]

Sorry, needed to repost so deleted my last.

Good move cutting it off & using lead free soft solder :handgestures-thumbupleft:

IMHO, I really doubt one of the heaviest materials in the world will be able to make it's way up the column "if" it's in your low wines, I would suggest that the paint like substance is just from foaming of the wash (I've seen this too using lead free SS gear) residue.

If you're still in doubt I think you could possibly test the alcohol with a lead test kit from a chemist, pretty sure you can get them cheap & they're used to test paint so should work :think:

[bt1]

I used soft - plumbers solder

As far as I'm aware and based on reading it's my understanding Plumbers solder is specifically lead free.

I'd suspect it's just normal patina build up which fits the description you provided.

bt1

[MacStill]

So what's all the solder with lead in it at the plumbing sections of large hardware stores then ?

Let's not get caught everyone believes just because it's called plumbing solder it's safe, read the labels !!

[shotchas]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I'm a little bit old fashioned and didn't even know until recently there was such a thing as lead free soft solder.
When I talk about plumbers solder I mean traditional Sn 40 - Pb 60, which is 60% lead.
Thanks Mac for the quick feedback and advice, now that I know you've seen the same thing on all SS I assume it is wash residue too, just a bit confusing initially when it resembles silver paint!
I couldn't see how solder could have been exposed to the vapour path, especially when there were no leaks, but I will look for some of the lead free stuff.
If the cost of O2 bottle rental wasn't so ridiculous I wouldn't have given it up, even though I only used it a couple of times a year. Silver soldering is so much easier with LPG and oxy.

[hijinks]

Nevertheless if there is any real doubt in your mind see your local GP arrange blood test ! Just saying ..

[bt1]

Shot,

that's a clear worry and needs fixing as per mac's advice earlier... It's clearly not a plumber's lead free solder.

I personally only use Aquasafe from CA which is lead free for soft work and CA's sliver rods for hard normally.

bt1