Sometimes it seems like health risks are being created by every piece of new technology we invent. One such thing is laser printers, which have recently been closely examined in order to determine if they carry any health risks. It has been said that spending time around a laser printer while working is almost just as bad as breathing second-hand smoke from a frequent smoker. The difference is that you can both see and smell second hand cigarette smoke to avoid it. Emissions from laser toner are generally invisible and odorless, unless they are thoroughly concentrated into one small area. Even at that point, they can be almost impossible to detect.
As you might expect, different sides carry different opinions. HP has even been doing its own testing ever since they were accused of being the worst of the polluting printer companies. They said that particles were found in the ventilation paths, and that they were similar to toner. However, they couldn't say for sure that it was toner. They can also determine where in the printing system the particles came from. It should be pointed out that more than just the toner and the rollers could be emitting them.
Hewlett Packard is most likely the spotlighted company because their printers are the most popular. Out of a random selection of 42 printers, all from one building, 34 of them were HP brand. What is frightening is that 13 of those were considered high-emission printers; and some are better or worse within each printer series. Of course, HP continues to say that their laser toner is not producing dangerous amounts of indoor pollutions. So, the debate continues with no one sure of the future outcome.
Whether you believe in the dangers of air-born pollutants from laser printers or not, there is another potential hazard; a flammable one. Many people have no idea how laser toner is used to print a document. As a result, they probably don't know that each particle is electrostatically charged. If enough tiny particles of toner get inside of a normal vacuum cleaner, there is the chance, however small, that it could ignite and cause a fire.
A few vacuum cleaners are designed to trap electrostatically charged particles, which can get around this danger. HEPA filters are also installed in them. The average vacuum has a filter, of course, but it's probably not fine enough to filter out the very fine toner particles. Because of that, the toner tends to be thrown back into the air, or it may even get mixed up in the motor and clog it over a long period of time.
With every dispute, there is a little truth on both sides. There are dangerous particles in the indoor environments we call businesses and home offices. Whether these particles come only from laser toner, or if it's generated by several different machines at the same time, is very hard to determine. What is known is that replacing filters regularly and putting the printer somewhere with good ventilation will result in the least health risks until a better solution is created.
