Is inkjet printer less polluted?

Okedokey said:

Most printer rooms now are separated and have quite extensive exhaust systems.

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The places I've been at try to jam a bunch of printers next to cubes and are in general work areas.

I don't think I've ever seen a dedicated print room in 'murica.

beers said:

The places I've been at try to jam a bunch of printers next to cubes and are in general work areas.

I don't think I've ever seen a dedicated print room in 'murica.

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we dont have our printers in our work area
then again we dont have any dedicated printer room with any special exhaust
they are just kept away from the desks in a corridor type area separated by a wall
I remember when they tried to put them in some work areas, a lot of people complained, myself included, I didn't want to smell and inhale that from everybody's print jobs, not to mention the constant noise.
Nowadays we don't even use dedicated laser printers, we print directly to the photocopiers.

Whatever extensive experience you may have, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007, Table 6-4 requires copy/printing rooms to be exhausted at a rate of 0.5 CFM/SF and classifies the exhaust air leaving the space as Class 2 (i.e., inappropriate for transfer or re circulation to spaces used for different purposes)

Okedokey said:

Whatever extensive experience you may have, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007, Table 6-4 requires copy/printing rooms to be exhausted at a rate of 0.5 CFM/SF and classifies the exhaust air leaving the space as Class 2 (i.e., inappropriate for transfer or re circulation to spaces used for different purposes)

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Did you know that's less than many other types of rooms, such as arenas, art classrooms, auto repair rooms, barber shops, beauty salons, cells, darkrooms, and as a matter of fact the only type of room that has a lower minimum exhaust rate are locker rooms. Everything else requires an equal or greater exhaust rate than a "copy room".

We don't have dedicated printer rooms in the vast majority of the enterprise or education here in America. Many do have dedicated copy rooms however.

Your claim that printers have dedicated rooms with specialized exhaust systems is rubbish.

Plus, you seem to have left out that ANSI (a volunteer organization) standards are not mandatory, enforceable laws. They are voluntary guidelines.

So you've been in every site have you ? Lol. Many places here have dedicated rooms because this is an issue. Whether or not you've seen it or not is not the point. I said that many do, to reduce exposure to emissions. Not all. Don't be a troll.

Okedokey said:

So you've been in every site have you ? Lol. Many places here have dedicated rooms because this is an issue. Whether or not you've seen it or not is not the point. I said that many do, to reduce exposure to emissions. Not all. Don't be a troll.

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If anyone is a troll here, it's you, claiming that printers are often stored in dedicated rooms with specialized exhaust systems. Corporate and education environments may be different in Australia, but I've seen plenty here and they all have printers inside the actual offices, or have one per wing/floor in common spaces. Everyone else who replied to you also shared the same experience.

I can see the headline in the paper now, 'he took his own life by connecting a hose to the printer'. Never heard so much rubbish in all my life!

Fatherboard said:

I can see the headline in the paper now, 'he took his own life by connecting a hose to the printer'. Never heard so much rubbish in all my life!

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People could be exposed to dangerous levels of ultrafine particles emitted by printers if they are in an environment that is poorly ventilated and the printer operation is frequent or continuous...

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American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology.

...researchers investigated emissions from all 62 printers in the entire six-story building, they found that 25 of them (40 percent) were emitting particles. Among those, 17 (27 percent) were "high emitters" (including HP LaserJet and HP Color LaserJet models, and one Toshiba Studio model), which caused the concentration of particles in the surrounding air to jump tenfold when just one page was printed.

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Printers should be positioned near a ventilation inlet or outlet grill, provided this does not result in increasing printer particles exposure for occupants of work stations adjacent to the printer. • The number of laser printers positioned amongst work stations should be reduced. Ideally, laser printers should be placed in a dedicated printer room or in an area of the office that is a sufficient distance away from occupied workstations. • Where there is local ventilation in areas or rooms where printers are located, the air flow should have a higher velocity than general office air conditioning air flow, as this will provide greater particle dilution.

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http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au...ticle emissions in workplace environments.pdf

The concentrations of ozone within the breathing zone of the operator depend on the amount of ozone discharged by the copier, the rate of decay of ozone, the volume of air in the room, the temperature and the ventilation in the room. Odour problems with modern printers, copiers and fax machines usually indicate inadequate ventilation.

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http://www.ohsrep.org.au/hazards/call-centres/office-hazards-photocopiers,-printers-etc#legal

Large machines which are capable of collating, or are used regularly for long copy runs, should be sited in dedicated copy rooms with adequate natural or mechanical ventilation.

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Ozone: Health Hazards and Precautionary Measures. Health and Safety Executive Guidance Note EH38.

Nanoparticles emitted by laser printers may have the potential to cause adverse health effects...

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Effects of Laser Printer–Emitted Engineered Nanoparticles on Cytotoxicity, Chemokine Expression, Reactive Oxygen Species, DNA Methylation, and DNA Damage: A Comprehensive in Vitro Analysis in Human Small Airway Epithelial Cells, Macrophages, and Lymphoblasts, Pirela (etal), 2014

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has warned

that printers and photocopiers can affect the health of office staff (CW 12 May 2008).

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I could go on for a lot longer...

From those articles, I think it all comes down to the frequency and volume of printing that is output by the laser printer. For instance a bank which prints out millions of statements or companies sending out shareholder statements, there is no doubt that it would warrant being placed in a dedicated print room with special ventilation. But the vast majority of laser printers in use, would not have a dedicated printer room.
I am not questioning the effects on a person's health of these laser printers.
Some people are more bothered by these smells than others and I don't think it is right to dismiss their concerns as nonsense. I used some of the older hp lasers at work and they did have strong emissions. Not sure if that has been resolved with some of the newer model printers. I barely use a printer at work anymore, they are slowly going the way of the fax machine.

Yeah you're right laser printer do emit ozone and it has a strong odor coming from it. Not good for your health especially at home.