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114 Comments
- RJ0534, on 12/03/2008, -2/+65Wow. I didn't know that. I'm gonna print that out to show all my friends.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -6/+35Back to dot matrix for all the semi-luddites! Buried as sensationalist *****.
- MorganMghee, on 12/02/2008, -9/+38people pay taxes, they presume they are going to fund agencies that will tell us what is harmful and what is not while we are busy working hard to make the money to pay the taxes so they can tell us if we are safe.....
the problem is, they've discovered we don't really pay attention after that, we don't do our own followup. greed has been allowed to creep in. the last 8 years in particular they have taken advantage of that and gutted the power of most agencies set up to make sure we stay safe and healthy. these agencies are no longer set up to do the jobs we believe they are doing. the system is broken and we are the reason. it doesn't take much. a few hours a month to keep up on the issues, write letters and make phone calls to keep the people we elect and the agencies we depend on honest. until we can do that, it's our own job to investigate and make noise when something is wrong. seem daunting? that's why we made the agencies.... so, do you want to work at it a few hours a month, or a few hours a day? tell your representatives you want the power and funding restored to the agencies created to keep us safe, and then promise them to keep an eye out, and then do it. - wilbur31337, on 12/02/2008, -2/+27 "The researchers explained that similar particles are formed during typical household activities that involve heating, such as cooking, baking, and making toast."
http://www.physorg.com/news147449602.html
"Lidia Morawska, Ph.D., and colleagues in Australia classified 17 out of 62 printers in the study as 'high particle emitters' ... One of the printers released particles into an experimental chamber at a rate comparable to the particle emissions from cigarette smoking, the report stated."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/07073 ... - diggface5000, on 12/03/2008, -1/+24Just crack a window for it or let it print on the porch like it's a smoker.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+15Not as bad as my bosses fat bitch secretaries emissions -and by that i don't mean just her demon spawn kids.
- JohnFlux, on 12/03/2008, -0/+12You can't smell ozone from laser printers? Hmm, I can, and I had always assumed that everyone else can smell it.
- skipdog172, on 12/03/2008, -4/+16This article sounds like a joke. It has a sentence like this: "There is a particular smell emitted when laser printers are in use. It's ozone, the "volatile organic-chemical" identified in these studies. In relatively high concentrations above 1 ppm, it can cause irritation to eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Most people can smell it in much lower concentrations though, even down to 0.01 ppm." Then it goes on to say nothing about how much the printers actually emit.
YET, I don't smell anything from laser printers. Nor does anybody else in the multiple hospitals I work in. Nobody is having irritation to eyes, nose, throat and lungs. We have laser printers EVERYWHERE. This study has NOTHING to do with the health effects of these particles. It just looks like sensationalist garbage. Yes, the printers emit a small amount of particles(although this article says nothing about how many particles are emitted). This study says nothing about the actual effects of these particles or if they are in large enough doses to have any harmful side effects. - MarkusX, on 12/03/2008, -0/+11My laser printer can't quit the habit, sorry!
- icewalker, on 12/03/2008, -0/+9I second skipdog172's statement - This article sounds like a joke. It has a sentence like this: "There is a particular smell emitted when laser printers are in use. It's ozone, the "volatile organic-chemical" identified in these studies.
First of all, ozone is NOT a "volatile organic-chemical". It's oxygen, though a not so good for you form (O3 vs O2). So, yeah, not organic by chemistry definition. Nitpicky on my part, yes. But the truth is in the details and it is "details" such as these that let company's and government's get away with bending, twisting, distorting, and just plain outright denying the truth. Show me a peer-reviewed scientific paper and I will believe it.
Oh and by the way, ozone is real easy to create with our electronic laden society. I'm not surprised if it were created during printing. All it takes is a spark of electricity and you have ozone created. You can't miss the smell either. It's sickly sweet and probably the result of cells in my nose exploding from exposure. - sockpuppets, on 12/03/2008, -0/+8Mine's menthol. It has a soothing scent.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -1/+9Everybody lawyer up! Here come the lawsuits!
- brewyet, on 12/03/2008, -0/+8does someone have a link to the actual study?
I saw one of these in the past and I noticed a big problem. the study classified the printers as low, medium, and high emitters. Well I worked on printers and noticed that a HP Laser jet 5m was a low, HP LJ 5 was medium and a HP LJ 5n was high. these models all have the same functioning parts. I worked on printers though college.
HP LJ 5 base model
HP LJ 5m m is for mac, it has a different ram card so it can accept a mac source (its a old printer)
HP LJ 5n n is for network, it had a network card installed.
so there was a problem with how the test was done. - tgc1, on 12/03/2008, -1/+9So I guess snorting lines of toner isn't a good idea then?
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+7the Sharper Image sold electronic air cleaners that gave off ozone as a 'FEATURE!'. this article is saying printers give off ozone and its bad because it can make your eyes itch. somebody is ***** us here- where is penn and teller? in the meantime i think ill just use my laser printer and cover up the ozone smell with some of the best chronic found on this side the mississippi.
- SkippyDoorknob, on 12/03/2008, -1/+7If you use a green magic marker to outline the edge of your paper, it prevents the laser from leaking out while printing. It's much safer that way. Makes it sound better too.
- doctechnical, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5At my job I worked in a room with a daisy-wheel printer. Pal, you don't know what emissions are until you've been driven insane by that thing's "emissions".
(For the younger generation: daisy-wheel printers were impact printers - a hammer hits a "petal" on a wheel that then hits a ribbon to put a letter on a page. They were so loud most of them were kept in their own box to cut down on the sound. Before laser printers these were about the only way to get "letter quality" printing out of a computer. Believe me, going one day with a daisy wheel constantly will drive you to a laser printer, even if the latter smokes three packs a day. - defwheezer, on 12/03/2008, -0/+5"Sharper Image sold electronic air cleaners that gave off ozone as a 'FEATURE!'"
OMG!!! If Sharper Image sells it, it MUST be safe! - tschau, on 12/03/2008, -1/+6Please return to your cave.
Printing technology can be improved, you know. I haven't heard anyone say that printers need to disappear. The cause is keeping people healthy - that's not silly.
That said, e-mail and intraweb rule the day in my workplace, and I ultimately see workplace printing as being on the way out. - apmtt, on 12/03/2008, -1/+6"It is interesting to note that ozone is responsible for the cracking found in old car tires. Modern tires have additives which prevent damage from ozone."
Yes, a very relevant fact. - Fustigations, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4Hospitals typically have very good ventilation. Even in corridors and office areas. They're under a different building classification and tend to be driven by health. I wouldn't be surprised if the printers were chosen for their low emissivity.
Ozone (not organic) is extremely dangerous in high quantities. Fortunately it breaks down very quickly, and anything around the 1ppm level is pretty innocuous. Unless you're wiping the CRT with your eyeballs, you're probably not even getting any in your lungs. - JimMayJr, on 08/06/2009, -0/+4I don't know what almost all large companies you've been to. Most have laser printers sitting in and around clusters of cubicles or for managers just in their office.
- RudeTurnip, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4I haven't had a laser printer in my office for years because the smell was sickening. I just use the large high-speed printer/copier/scanner in our copy room if I need to print something.
- doctechnical, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4"Bureaucracy has been allowed to creep in."
Fixed that for you.
Government agencies exist for the primary purpose of perpetuating themselves. Example: The EPA says that city tap water can contain no more that 50 ppm of arsenic. Cities equip their water plants accordingly,.problem solved. "No! Wait! It's got to be down to 25ppm!" Making these changes would have bankrupt a good number of small-towns, and the benefits of such a reduction were dubious at best. But the EPA has to keep tightening the standards, because they need to have a reason to keep existing.
I'm sorry, I just don't put as much trust in government agencies as you do. I'd feel a lot better if they just make findings and recommendations (perhaps certification) and let the people decide whether the cost/benefit analysis justifies the expenditure of following those recommendations. - DJNephilim, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4Oh god...not...THE WHEEL!
Believe me, I'd GLADLY breathe toner if it meant I wouldn't have to listen to old daisy wheel and dot-matrix printers anymore. - frazw, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4I can assure you laser printers DO emit ozone (which is not a volatile organic chemical) and you can smell it. I used to work in an electronics store and we had laser printers for the price tickets. They definitely did smell. A lot.
I would however be more concerned about the fact that CRT's emit ozone and have in the past been ubiquitous in people's homes. Chances are many people spent more time in close proximity to their old CRT monitor than they do to a laser printer.
I doubt there are any significant health issues. Our bodies deal with oxidising agents and free radicals all the time. Apart from the bad smell I doubt it is that harmful, unless you are frequently saturated by it. - inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4Step 1: Take apart old DVD burners/
Step 2: Remove Laser Diodes.
Step 3: Build uber-laser-pointer
Step 4: ???????????????
Step 5: PROFI OH *****, MY EYES!!!@!@#!@#!@#!!!! - pirategonzo, on 12/03/2008, -0/+4Well I am in trouble, I work in a building that use to fill toner. Now it blows through the vents. There is always a buildup of toner around the vents.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -3/+7This article has a slight underTONE of lulz
- abadjay, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3and i was just saying the big ass laser printer makes our office smell of ozone... that thing is ancient.
- diggface5000, on 12/03/2008, -4/+7I'm digging this story - not!
- synergye, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Vaginal emissions? You sick *****!
- Fustigations, on 12/03/2008, -1/+4Ozone is a feature in air cleaning. It kills anything organic it comes in contact with. Therefore, it would destroy germs that pass through. It is used in some clean room and hospital ventilation systems. It also breaks down very quickly, so a properly designed system has no chance of introducing ozone to a person. This is the reason I would never get one of those sharper image things. Its probably good to have if its never on when people are nearby... But ozone is nasty stuff if you get it in you.
Rain causes ionized particles, not ozone. Ozone during rain is caused by lightning, and will cause some background ozonation, but not in harmful levels. The rain smell is ionized particles. - inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3I can remember the smell of an old printer we had at school..
- Gr00ver, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3As much as I use the laser printer at work.. I'm doomed.
- BossKey, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Consumer Reports and others say those ozone "cleaners" are a total scam.
- c0nv1ct, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3"The Australian study also suggests that printer companies should be regulated by the government as their products are often a major source of *inter-office* air pollution."
Wow, so the pollution is so bad that it travels from office to office? - defwheezer, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3O3 is not organic (no carbon, hello!?). It is both toxic and volatile though.
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S01884 ... - oboshoe, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3So. Don't park near a laser printer, or the ozone from it will crack your tires.
- EzraSchwartz, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3Maybe it's like asparagus
- MorganMghee, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3HA!
- conna, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3And bailouts that the US population does not support.
- inactive, on 12/03/2008, -0/+3DONT BE A RETARD!
Just about everything can produce chemicals that are dangerous. The point that is missed on the retarded sensationalism, is if it is in large quantities! It is NOT!
Ozone is actually used to sanitize that air and would probably dissipate quickly within seconds unless your huffing the printer vent!
Silicon oils - Um duh - dont inhale ink please.. or dirt, or anything that a retard might try to.
Paraffins - Dont huff near a candle flame... you might inhale some as well !!
Seriously do people think for themselves anymore, or do they read articles and scream bloody murder at anything someone prints!!??? - CynicalTyler, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2"The studies found that even printers which do not use toner... also emit certain types of chemicals. These gather and collate in the air..."
Yeah but can they staple and three-hole-punch in the air? - sildude, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Oh great. my entire life I've avoided smoking thinking ill be healthier for it. Now at work i sit right next to a big HP A3 laser printer, which is a high emitter according to this one study.
- doctechnical, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2I knew putting the laser printers 30 seconds away was a health benefit, but I thought it was because we were all fat-asses and the walks were all the exercise we got.
- conna, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2That triggered memories... I remember reading about CD's when they were first coming out. It was an article in a Playboy(early 80's) mag saying to use a permanent marker to outline the edge. I think they even sold special "CD markers" for the job.
- j3ff86, on 12/03/2008, -2/+4My suit is black not.
- defwheezer, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Call ur lawyer- NOW!
- doctechnical, on 12/03/2008, -0/+2Damn, you may be on to something there. Pine Scented Toner Cartridges. I see a great need.
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