Printers and Your Health

A new study from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia looks at the potential for health risks that arise from the use of printers, and the results are worrying. Dr Lidia Morawska and her team of researchers looked "to answer questions raised by earlier findings that almost one third of popular laser printers emitted large numbers of ultrafine particles," according to the University, when heated toner turns to vapor that then condenses. The findings speculate that the "tiny particles are potentially dangerous to human health because they can penetrate deep into the lungs." This research might be a step toward helping in the design of laser printers that provide a safer work environment.