Laser printers emissions
 As you should be informed by now, emissions from office laser printers can be seriously damaging as cigarette smoke.
Office workers breathing easy since smoking was banned in public places in the United States and the United Kingdom have new reason to worry.
The average printer releases toner particles that can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems and cardiovascular troubles.
The team tested 62 laser printer models–all relatively new–and found that 17 of them were “high emitters” of toner particles. Despite using similar technology, office photocopiers do not emit particles, the team found.
Several of the high emitters were Hewlett Packard jet set models, such as the 1320 and 4250, although eight Laser Jet 4250 series were shown to have no emissions, according to reports.
The printer emissions data were discovered by chance when an investigation of office ventilation systems, carried out jointly between the university and the Queensland Department of Public Works, found five times as many particles indoors as those produced by traffic outdoors. Using an electronic sniffer, researchers traced the emissions to printers. The emissions were found to increase during the day, when printers were left on standby or in full operation.
Following the revelation, Morawska’s team tested their own printers and moved the unhealthy ones away from people. The researchers are now calling for regulations on printer emissions. The study included Canon, HP LaserJet, Ricoh and Toshiba printers. The university had not released comprehensive results by the time this story was published.
