Your laser printer could be hazardous to your health
That laser printer sitting on your desk could be
emitting high levels of potentially hazardous particles.
That laser printer sitting on your desk could be
emitting high levels of potentially hazardous particles. Some printers release
almost as many ultra-fine particles as a smoldering cigarette, the study authors
said.
There have been few studies on the health hazards of printing, and the current research, appearing in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, provides the most extensive look yet at particle emissions of office printers, including Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh and Toshiba models.
Lidia Morawska and her colleagues classified 37 printers as non-emitters, eight as medium or low emitters, and 17 as high emitters.
Among the machines that had no emissions were eight HP LaserJet 4050 series printers and four Ricoh Aficio models. High emitters included the HP LaserJet 1320 and 4250, which, when printing, increased the particle number in the air more than tenfold.
The kicker is that - Morawska did not set out to study printers. She was measuring office air quality - and when and where pollution increased led her to the laser printers.
There have been few studies on the health hazards of printing, and the current research, appearing in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, provides the most extensive look yet at particle emissions of office printers, including Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh and Toshiba models.
Lidia Morawska and her colleagues classified 37 printers as non-emitters, eight as medium or low emitters, and 17 as high emitters.
Among the machines that had no emissions were eight HP LaserJet 4050 series printers and four Ricoh Aficio models. High emitters included the HP LaserJet 1320 and 4250, which, when printing, increased the particle number in the air more than tenfold.
The kicker is that - Morawska did not set out to study printers. She was measuring office air quality - and when and where pollution increased led her to the laser printers.
Posted: Thu - August 2, 2007 at 06:18 AM