Son, I have been using lead based solders for 50 years with no ill effects, I've had my blood checked several times for poisoning for Lead, Mercury and Cadmium among others and has slight levels of lead and mercury... Never toxic and never enough to do more than show up in a mass spectrometer measurement of my blood. Lead isn't nearly as toxic as you might think... for young children it's a REAL Problem a VERY Serious Neurological Issue but for a mature human it isn't much more dangerous than eating fish... (Just don't eat a lot of fish frequently_). I just don't put it or my fingers in my mouth and I wash my hands well after using it. The Dangers are really from landfills more than unit toxicity. The stuff will very slowly become chemically involved usually with a mild acid or a mild base and slowly becomes water soluble where it enters the food-chain and it will cause serious neurological damage to unformed nervous systems... Children both pre and post natal. It isn't as dangerous as it is claimed however it does require respect and some reasonable care in it's handling.. Especially from things like solder suckers as they contain oxides of lead and those are readily soluble, That's why I made the joke about discarding them when full... the dust from that type of device is somewhat more reactive then plain solder. I would be more concerned with the effects of the new family of "Organic" Fluxes... some contain phosphorus and it doesn't take much beyond the right combination of metals and contaminants to make some fairly toxic chemicals... (there are a lot of poisons made from phosphorus) a Fan is a good remedy for that though... or better a soldering hood. BE careful but not fearful of solder... and I HATE that lead free crap, every joint looks to me like a 'cold' solder joint...
IMO...
Edit: 8/26/12 Doc
Doc