Study links laser printers to air pollution
The San Francisco Chronicle is that certain laser printers emit air pollutants that pose health risks similar to second-hand smoke. The study, published by the American Chemical Society, included popular brands, like Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh, and Toshiba, in an office environment.
No sign of alarm from these companies yet — but HP has been looking into the matter, according to the article:
For almost two years, HP has been working with scientists to study emissions from laser printers, company spokeswoman Emily Horn wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle. To date, HP hasn’t been able to determine the chemical composition of the ultra-fine particles, nor has it been able to trace the source in the printing system, she said.
HP is reviewing the study and conducting its own tests, the article says. Meanwhile:
Russell Marchetta, a spokesman for Ricoh Americas Corp., which has main offices in West Caldwell, N.J., said his company is pleased that out of five printers, four showed no emissions and one showed low emissions. Toshiba executives did not return calls seeking comment.
