Question I hit a hard disk drive platter with a hammer in it emitted a smell is that dangerous

Jan 29, 2020
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I hit a hard disk drive platter with a hammer and it started to smell,am I at risk, will breathing in this give me cancer, is it toxic what chemicals does it contain?
 
Jan 29, 2020
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I don't know, but I doubt lead. It doesn't make much sense to have lead on a spinning platter that is meant to be not very heavy.
I saw some little crystals inside the circular platters. Those are Ferrite or cobaltite crystals, right? That might be the smell, is it dangerous to breathe in since I hit the HD’s platter with a hammer?
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Seconding @USAFRet.

However, I am curious: what did you "smell": Sulfur, fishy stink, wood smoke, hot plastic, etc...?

What was the HDD platter sitting/laying on when you hit the platter with a hammer?

Overall when you hit something with a hammer there is some energy transformation and that can result in heat and burning. When things burn they smell.

I was once exposed to the essence of hot day dead skunk mixed with the odor of burning 18-wheeler truck brakes.

Fortunately I survived.....

I will happily hammer a disk platter all day if that will erase the skunk day from my memory.
 
Jan 29, 2020
4
0
10
Seconding @USAFRet.

However, I am curious: what did you "smell": Sulfur, fishy stink, wood smoke, hot plastic, etc...?

What was the HDD platter sitting/laying on when you hit the platter with a hammer?

Overall when you hit something with a hammer there is some energy transformation and that can result in heat and burning. When things burn they smell.

I was once exposed to the essence of hot day dead skunk mixed with the odor of burning 18-wheeler truck brakes.

Fortunately I survived.....

I will happily hammer a disk platter all day if that will erase the skunk day from my memory.
Don’t those inside circular rotors in the center of the platters have some gray/black powder that look like crystals when shining light on it?is it called iron oxide termite? Do they have A certain smell and are they toxic if inhaled?