Office workers could be at risk from exposure to nanoparticles emitted by laser printers.
Ferret reported on a paper published in 2007 which investigated printer emissions in office environments and led to a more detailed investigation into nanoparticles exposed to workers that could cause a health and safety risk.
The study was conducted by Safe Work Australia in partnership with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and looked into the exposure of office workers to nanoparticles, including “temporal and spatial variations of nanoparticles within office environments”; with the aim of providing guidance on how to minimise exposure to nanoparticles.
The second investigation came following the publication of the 2007 study in scientific literature, which raised the issue of the emission of particles from laser printers in the workplace, generating “significant interest” worldwide, with concerns being directed to Australian State, Territory, and Federal workplace health and safety regulatory bodies.
It was found by the study that 42 percent of the printers involved in the investigation were classified as low to high emitters of nanoparticles, compared to 58 percent that were classified as non-emitters, meaning that it is relatively common for office printers to emit such particles.
Research by Dr. Roger Drew of consulting firm Toxikos Pty Ltd. into the possible effects of nanoparticle emissions found that “emissions from laser printers are primarily aerosol condensates of VOCs or SVOCs” and so it was concluded that “it would be logical to expect possible health effects to be more related to the chemical nature of the aerosol rather than the physical character of the ‘particulate’ as such emissions are unlikely to be ‘particulates’ after they contact respiratory tissue”.
In terms of advice in how to minimise the effects of nanoparticle emissions, the study suggests locating printers in a well ventilated area “providing this does not result in increasing printer particles exposure for occupants of work stations adjacent to the printer”, adding that “where there is local ventilation […] where printers are located, the air flow should have a higher velocity than general office air conditioning air flow, as this will provide greater particle dilution”.
It also advises that the number of laser printers positioned amongst work stations be reduced and that the devices should “ideally be placed in a dedicated printer room or in an area of the office that is a sufficient distance away from occupied workstations”.