http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=212648,00.asp
Study: Some Laser Printers Produce Office Smog
ARTICLE DATE: 08.01.07
By Mark Hachman, ExtremeTech
A small but sophisticated study of office printers has found that laserjets
can contribute significantly to indoor air pollution.
Scientists at the Queensland Institute of Technology in Australia are
scheduled to release the report to the Environmental Science & Technology
journal. The report's contents have been viewed by a few publications,
including the San Francisco Chronicle, which reproduced the report online.
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In the paper reproduced by the Chronicle, the researchers did not draw any
conclusions between the additional toner particles and health risks. However,
the authors did note that the highest level of airborne particulates was about
equal to those found in homes of residential smokers.
According to the Chronicle, the researchers initially chose to examine a
Brisbane office building's ventilation system. After doing so, however, the
researchers noticed that of all the equipment in the office, it was the laser
printers that were spewing microscopic -- but still significant -- amounts of
toner into the air, posing what could be a health hazard. The study found that,
during work hours, the amount of particles inside the building was five times
that during non-work hours; outside the building in the open air, the amount of
particles was just "one time" higher, according to the report.
The researchers subsequently tested the printers inside a sealed chamber,
specifically examining the type and amount of particles the printers would give
off. The building had 62 laser printers. Of 42 different models found, 34
models were manufactured by Hewlett-Packard, five by Ricoh, two by Toshiba and
one by Canon, the study said.
Interestingly, not all printers were found to release particles. "It was
found that approximately 60% of the investigated printers did not emit
submicrometer particles and of the 40% that did emit particles, 27% were high
particle emitters," the study reported.
However, aside from the Toshiba Studio 450 (a high emitter), the Canon
IRC6800 (low emitter), and the Ricoh CL3000DN (low emitter), all of the models
found to release particulates were manufactured by HP.
Eighteen models of HP laser printers were also found to be "non-emitters".
Statistically, the wide number of models meant that in most cases, a single
printer was classified as an emitter or non-emitter, rather than a family of
devices. An HP Color LaserJet 4550DN, for example, was found to be a
non-emitter, while the HP Color LaserJet 4650 DN was found to be a high emitter.
"HP is currently reviewing the Queensland University of Technology research
on particle emission characteristics of office printers," HP said in a
statement emailed to PC Magazine.
"Vigorous tests under standardized operating conditions are an integral part
of HP's research and development and its strict quality control procedures,"
the HP statement added. "As part of these quality controls, HP asseses its
LaserJet printing systems, original HP print cartridges and papers for dust
release and possible material emissions to ensure compliance with applicable
international health and safety requirements."
Three HP printers were chosen for emission tests, as all three models
released particles: the HP LaserJet 5M, a low emitter; the HP LaserJet 1020, a
medium emitter; and the HP LaserJet 1320n, a high emitter. The researchers
found that the printers using an older toner cartridge typically released fewer
particles than new cartridges; however, the particles were smaller in diameter.
The chemical makeup of the toner was not studied: "a better database of
printer emission rates, as well as their chemical characteristics" is needed,
the study concluded.
The study was authored by Congrong He, Lidia Morawska, and Len Taplin of the
International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at the Queensland
University of Technology, Brisbane. Editor's Note: This story was updated at
9:33 AM PDT with comments from HP.
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