Posted on 08/02/2007 2:24:44 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Your office laser printer may be hazardous to your health.
That's because some printers emit large quantities of very fine particles that can be breathed into the lungs, according to a study by Australian researchers at the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at the Queensland University of Technology.
"The health effects from inhaling ultra-fine particles depend on particle composition, but the results can range from respiratory irritation to more severe illness such as cardiovascular problems or cancer," professor Lidia Morawska, one of the researchers, said in a news release from the university.
The researchers found that particulate matter levels were higher during the work day inside an air-conditioned nonsmoking office building in Brisbane than outside near a roadway. They soon zeroed in on laser printers as culprits, and tested 62 throughout the six-story building over a 48-hour period.
Forty percent of the printers tested emitted tiny particles, and 27 percent of those were high-emitters. A follow-up test of some printers found that particle emissions started as soon as a printer started operating.
Particle emissions varied depending on the type of printer and age of the printer and cartridge, but the highest printer particle emitting rate was close to that of a prior test of cigarette smoking in a residential home, the study said.
Robert Hamers, UW-Madison chemistry department chairman, who is associate director of the UW's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, said the study is important.
"Laser printers can be a significant source of particle emissions and could potentially be a health risk," he said, but added that comparing printer emissions to cigarette smoke was not valid because the particles are made up of entirely different things.
"This study does not show in any convincing way that it is comparable to cigarette smoke. This study is based on the number of particles, but the kinds of particles are quite different," Hamers said. "Cigarette smoke contains polyaromatic hydrocarbons and cyanide and other materials. Emissions from printers are more like soot."
Carbon emissions can be hazardous, however. Chimney sweeps used to get testicular cancer, and coal miners get black lung disease, Hamers said.
"This is certainly something that we need to do more investigation on," he added. "It is an important issue because there is a lot of evidence that particles in the air contribute to asthma and other health effects. But a lot of health effects can be dependent on the chemical composition of the particles."
Environmental testing for air quality focuses on particles that are about one-fiftieth the diameter of a human hair or less.
The nearest printer was about 13 feet from the testing device, which was a condensation particle counter.
Printers, not photocopiers, were the main source of particles.
Of 42 printer models tested, 34 were manufactured by Hewlett-Packard, so that company's printers made up almost all of the high-emission printers. According to the study, high-emission laser printers were: HP Color LaserJet 4650dn, HP Color LaserJet 5550dtn, HP Color LaserJet 8550N, HP LaserJet 1320N, HP LaserJet 1320n, HP LaserJet 2420dn, HP LaserJet 4200dtn, HP LaserJet 4250n, HP LaserJet 5(a), HP LaserJet 8000N, HP LaserJet 8150N and Toshiba Studio 450.
Hewlett-Packard could not be reached for comment prior to deadline, but a company spokeswoman told the San Francisco Chronicle that HP has been working with scientists to study emissions, but hasn't been able to determine the chemical composition of emissions or their source in the printing system.
"HP believes that all laser printers emit nanoparticles to one degree or another," Emily Horn told the Chronicle.
Hamers noted that the study did not answer whether the printer or the toner cartridge was the source of the emissions.
"Sometimes you can get high-capacity toner cartridges or low-capacity cartridges for the same printer. It was not clear if emission differences were due to printer design or the cartridge itself. This study raises more questions than it solves, but that is the mark of a good study. You have to follow it up," Hamers said.
The researchers reporting the study were Morawska, Congrong He and Len Taplin. The study was financed by the Queensland Department of Public Works. Morawska said the study highlighted a need for governments to regulate particle emissions from laser printers. "Governments regulate emissions levels from outdoor devices such as vehicles, power stations and factories, so why not for printers?" she asked.
She suggested that people place printers in well-ventilated areas of offices and homes to allow airborne particles to disperse.
Oh well.
This is funny, what’s next? Only the idiot fringe can predict.
Thanks for the ping!
Good point. But solving particle problems from laser printers is way easier to fix, cheaply, than Gore's social-experiment communism for "the common good". There's nothing wrong with having catalytic converters on our cars to deal with the really toxic gasses that poured out of tailpipes of vehicles of fifty years ago. Some problems are identifyable, and fixable, without resorting to socialism to give power to liberals.
That's right cupcake, more government regulation will fix the problem. Hell, it fixes everything else.
Huh. Who woulda thunk it?
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