laserprinters + air pollution
Marco Schumacher
had knowledge about the real air pollution of laserprinters inside
offices.
They have more than 3 lasers in a non-air conditioned room and the poor
girls suffer from headache and sneezing.
I was sorry not knowing a lot but I promised I would ask the big
NEWS-family if it has some knowledge about this probably interesting
question.
(Tell me if I'm in the wrong newsgroup)
Marco Schumacher Projet de recherche CIMOO
Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor
6, rue Coudenhove-Kalergi
L-1359 Luxembourg-Kirchberg Europe
mp...@unlinfo.unl.edu
>A few days ago, I was asked by an employee of an insurance company if I
>had knowledge about the real air pollution of laserprinters inside
>offices.
>
>They have more than 3 lasers in a non-air conditioned room and the poor
>girls suffer from headache and sneezing.
>
This is a real problem. Laser printers can produce ozone from their
printing engines; I know that in particular our DEC LN03R puts out a
very noticable amount, includes filtering to neutralize some of it,
and the documentation warns about it. Put more than one such printer
in a non-ventilated place and it's easy to imagine that there is a problem:
ozone is a very unhealthy thing to be exposed to, especially on a con-
tinuous basis.
Phil N. Laramore
>A few days ago, I was asked by an employee of an insurance company if I
>had knowledge about the real air pollution of laserprinters inside
>offices.
>
>They have more than 3 lasers in a non-air conditioned room and the poor
>girls suffer from headache and sneezing.
>
I believe most copiers work by the same principle as laser printers, even plain paper faxes. If so, then I wonder why all of a sudden this has become a question? Could it be because a laser printer has a laser inside?\
Oh my God, a laser. . . .
Phil
Ed Hall
: In article g...@caladan.restena.lu, Marco Schumacher <schu...@crpht.lu> writes:
: >A few days ago, I was asked by an employee of an insurance company if I
: >had knowledge about the real air pollution of laserprinters inside
: >offices.
: >
: >They have more than 3 lasers in a non-air conditioned room and the poor
: >girls suffer from headache and sneezing.
: >
: . . .<snip>. . .
: I believe most copiers work by the same principle as laser printers,
: even plain paper faxes. If so, then I wonder why all of a sudden this
: has become a question?
It hasn't; the problem with copier-produced ozone has been known for
years, and the larger copier manufacturers typically take steps to
minimize or neutralize ozone emissions. Just because /you/ haven't
heard about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist...
: Could it be because a laser printer has a laser
: inside?
: Oh my God, a laser. . . .
No, it's because a certain amount of corona discharge is inevitable given
the way laser printers work. The laser has nothing to do with generating
ozone.
-Ed Hall
edh...@rand.org
Rowland Jenkins
: Phil N. Laramore (lara...@aud.alcatel.com) wrote:
: : In article g...@caladan.restena.lu, Marco Schumacher <schu...@crpht.lu> writes:
: : >A few days ago, I was asked by an employee of an insurance company if I
: : >had knowledge about the real air pollution of laserprinters inside
: : >offices.
: : >
: : >They have more than 3 lasers in a non-air conditioned room and the poor
: : >girls suffer from headache and sneezing.
: : >
: : . . .<snip>. . .
I worked on this issue with the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II printer. After
some testing, we decided to increase the effectiveness (thickness) of the
ozone filter and made it user replaceable (no service person needed).
The LJIIIP and all LJ4 series printers have charge rollers, so no
corona effect and thus no ozone is created.
Most of the complaints (some valid, some just generated from the "new"
awareness) came from European countries, where the offices were small
and not well ventilated. We amended the user manual to specify the
filter change interval, and if the customer felt that they were an
atypical user, they could change the filter more often.
When I say atypical user, I mean if they had very little ventilation,
ran the printer almost continuously (ozone is only produced while
printing), and several printers are in the room.
A couple of other points:
1. The OSHA limit for ozone concentration is 0.1ppm.
2. Ozone does decay pretty rapidly. Decay rate does depend on
types of materials in the room (fabric, plastics, etc), humidity
(decays faster in high RH%).
3. You may want to see if they can change the filter in the printer.
Another thing to avoid is having the printer exhaust aimed at you.
__^__ THE THINKER SAYS... __^__
( ___ )------------------------------------------------------------( ___ )
| | | |
| | Show me a person who thinks they know everything, | |
| | and I will show you a person who has stopped learning. | |
|___| |___|
(_____)-------Internet:rlje...@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com-----------------(_____)
Rowland Jenkins - Hewlett-Packard Co. , Boise, Idaho
--
Marco Schumacher
Information from "Apple LaserWriter Owner's Guide".
"Ozone gas is emitted by almost all laser printers and photocopiers.
In Laser Writer, the primary source of ozone is the corona wire, which
produces an electrical discharge while printer is printing. The
LaserWriter has an ozone filter so that the ozone emissions from the
printer comply with Underwriters Laboratory ( UL ) safety limits.
Depending on the levels of concentration, ozone can be a mild-to-
severe irritant with known effects ranging from dry throat and nose,
headache, and sore eyes to nausea, vomiting, and pulmonary congestion.
For this reason various regulatory agencies have established limits
regarding the amount of ozone to which employees may be exposed.
The current OSHA permissible exposure limit for ozone is 0.1 parts of
ozone per million parts of air (ppm). The employer is responsible for
providing a work environment that meets these standards.
To minimize ozone exposure, install the LaserWriter in a well -
ventilated area and keep the equipment properly maintained. If there
are other laser printers or photocopying machines in the same area,
additional air circulation may be required. Do not place the
LaserWriter in a small, enclosed space that lacks adequate
ventilation. Position the printer so that the fan exhaust does not
blow directly into an individual's face. Finally, maintain the
relative humidity between 30 and 70 percent. Extremely low humidity
can slow breakdown of ozone in the air."