SafetyIssues Personal and Public Safety News Articles: Are Laser Printers Dangerous To Health?

Are Laser Printers Dangerous To Health?
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Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 06/06/08 05:40:00
 
The laser printers emitted ultrafine particles, especially when new toner
cartridges were used or when computer graphics and images were printed. The
American Chemical Society said that ultrafine means the particles can penetrate
without difficulty into the lungs and its smallest passageways, which might
result in serious illnesses over time. The researchers suspected the particles
originated from the laser printer toner which uses a very fine powder.
The team reported that out of 62 laser printers investigated, 17 units emitted
high levels of particles, while 37 other printers did not emit any particles.
Eight others had lower emissions.
There could be health effects. The nature of the particles would determine the
impact on health, but the effects could be as minor as respiratory irritation to
more serious diseases.
These results could spawn a demand for government regulations and occupational
safety guidelines. But while these are still forthcoming, office workers would
be well advised to stay away from laser printers. In one case, as reported in
the study, being close to a working printer was equivalent to sitting beside a
cigarette smoker.
Remember that you spend more hours indoors, at the office or at home. You are
exposed to chemicals originating indoors or those introduced indoors by
ventilation.
The findings could be dangerous to laser printer manufacturers, too. Lasers have
declined in most small-volume markets but remain largely used in high-volume
printing markets. If the results of the study are validated in other research,
and if illnesses are found to have been caused by printer particles, this could
spell the end of laser printer.