How Safe Is Your Printer?

Time mag asks How Safe Is Your Printer?

Apparently some office printers cause considerable indoor pollution.

A recent Australian study will have you thinking twice about waiting for those printouts — not for the sake of the paper, but for your health. In the small study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Environmental Science and Technology, researchers found that nearly 30% of the 62 printers they tested — including laser printers from Canon, HP, Toshiba and Ricoh — emitted high levels of ultrafine toner particles, which were potentially as hazardous as cigarette smoke. In one Brisbane office, the authors found, the concentration of particulate matter per square inch was five times higher during working hours than nonworking hours, and about 3.5 times higher inside than outside, where a freeway ran 130 yards from the building.
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The study's authors concede that more research is needed before they can make any recommendations about the public's printer-related behavior.
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In general, concentrations of volatile organic compounds, like cleaning agents and pesticides, can sometimes be 10 times higher indoors than outdoors, says Weschler. With long-term exposure, these types of air pollutants can be linked to allergies and respiratory illness, or worse.

The EPA has not done any recent research on the health effects of printer emissions — Morawska's study is the most extensive to date — but Sharon Worthy of the U.S. Dept. of Labor says "historically laser printers have presented no known hazard in the workplace." But, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Environmental Working Group, which has conducted research on particulate pollution from automobiles, printers release the same type of fine particles that cars do. "What we need are standards up front so that the pollution we're subjected to don't pose health risks," says Jane Houlihan, the nonprofit's vice president for research. "Printers are just one of the many things we're exposed to during the day that are potentially harmful."