Laser printers as bad as cigarette smoke
TORONTO — Some laser printers emit as much fine-particle pollution as cigarette smoke, which can lodge deep in people's lungs to pose a significant health threat, Australian researchers have found. Some popular brand printers release so much toner into the air that the amount of fine particles in office air increases five-fold during work hours, and new toner cartridges and graphic-heavy printing projects further boost the amount of ultra-fine powder in the air.
In a study to be published on Wednesday, researchers from the Queensland University of Technology show that 17 of the 62 printers tested were “high particle emitters”, sending an ultra fine powder that researchers – believed to be toner – into the air.
One of the printers tested released so many particles into the experimental chamber that it was akin to cigarette smoking, the report found.
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