Laser printer air pollution further investigated

Posted on Saturday, February 14 2009 @ 21:10 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
The same research group that reported back in 2007 that laser printers are the biggest air polluter in offices has done a follow-up study on the issue that focuses on the nature of the particle pollution emitted from these printers.
Now there's a follow-up from the same research group, focusing on the nature of the particulate pollution emitted from laser printers. These submicron-sized particles appear to be formed by complex reactions between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the help of both heat and ozone.

The work involved tested two printers, an HP 2200 and an HP 1320n. The latter is known to emit many more particulates than the former, by as much as three orders of magnitude (or 1,000 percent more), and both printers were tested while being put through their paces printing pages with no toner coverage, five percent toner coverage, or 50 percent toner coverage. Some tests were conducted in a flow-through tunnel to measure particle nature, while others were performed in another chamber that allowed the scientists to measure the persistence of the particles, as well as other variables that required a longer assay time.
More info at ARS Technica.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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