Safe laser printers and copiers

Modern office workflows would be difficult to imagine without laser printers and copiers. This makes it all the more important to use low-pollution types. Some laser printers emit only very low levels of contaminants. IFA has tested a number of these units. A list of tested "low-emission" equipment can be found on the Blue Angel website.

Notes on the state of the discussion

Although low-emission machines are available today, laser printers keep coming under criticism as a major pollutant source. Some of the information published and linked in this context is apt to give rise to untenable conclusions. Thus, a number of toner powders have been found to contain benzene. Benzene is a cancer-causing substance. From this it is inferred that printer emissions are carcinogenic.

The results of years of research and the findings of several test institutes, including IFA, are all too often neglected. The most recent major study was presented by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in the spring of 2007 (in German). It was based on measurements of dust and organic substance concentrations in a large number of offices, as well as on examinations of office workers who, in some cases, claimed to be suffering from "health impairments due to toner dust exposure". The pilot study failed to establish any clear correlation between laser printer emissions and the disorders reported, although the authors see the need for further research.

IFA studies and comments

The investigations conducted by IFA were focused on substances released by the printing system, consisting of printer, toner and paper. These emissions include dust, ozone and organic compounds such as benzene and styrene. It was found that advanced laser printers which passed the test successfully released emissions only in very small amounts. In particular, it emerged that

• no toner dust was detectable;
• other organic substances, including benzene, were released only in very small quantities;
• ozone emission levels were extremely low (some laser printers and copiers even use ozone-free technology)

These results are also summarized in the list of tested machines at the "Blue Angel" website (RAL-UZ 122, in German). All successfully tested models appear in this list.

Apart from emissions which may occur during printing, care should be taken during toner cartridge replacement operations and when installing the machine at its site. Before changing a toner cartridge, it is recommended to observe the Guide notes regarding operation, cleaning and maintenance. A description of how laser printers can be operated safely is given in BGI 820 (in German).

A printer shared by several office staff members and set up next to a workplace may cause interference in the respective workflows. It should therefore be examined whether a workplace printer is indeed needed in this case, or whether a central workgroup printer can be employed instead. The latter may induce workers to move around more often, thus activating their blood circulation and counteracting monotonous physical strain in the workplace.