HP LaserJet Printers - Printer Emissions Backgrounder

program.
(9)
Consequently, no special health risk is to be expected from emissions of HP laser printing
systems when devices are operated as intended.
Minimal particle emissions
The closed design concept of HP LaserJet and HP Color LaserJet print cartridges
effectively limits potential particle release. In general, the important imaging components
and special excess toner reservoirs are located inside the print cartridge. Remaining
toner or paper particles are wiped off the imaging drum and collected in the excess
toner reservoir. Therefore, under intended handling conditions, users should not come
into contact with toner particles
To ensure a high level of user safety, HP additionally measures the potential release of
particles under extreme operating conditions. Following the well-established and
generally recognized gravimetric test procedures in environmental test chambers (ECMA-
328,
(10)
RAL-UZ 85/114, RAL-UZ 122), the total mass or the resulting airborne
concentrations of emitted particles are low. Therefore, and because of their chemical
properties, they pose no health risk according to the current state of knowledge.
The concentrations of dust particles of HP laser printing systems lie well below the U.S.
OSHA limit values
(1)
and the German AGW.
(3)
Moreover, HP’s design criteria for its laser
printing systems incorporates guidelines from both the GREENGUARD program
(8)
in the
United States and the Blue Angel program
(9)
in Germany. Accordingly, experts from
Germany’s federal government confirm that the overall particle release can be considered
to be to be “relatively small.”
(11)
No special health risk is thus to be expected from dust emissions when HP laser printing
systems are operated as intended.
No indications of special health issues due to ultrafine particles (UFPs)
Recently, newly developed measurement methods have made it possible to determine the
particle size distribution even for the smallest particles within the very small amounts of
total particulate matter. Currently available measurement results of the UBA show that
toner particles (average diameter from 5 to 10 μm) as well as paper dust are released
only to a very small extent.
(12)
In the context of the describing and comparing examinations by the UBA, ultrafine
particles (UFP, < 0.1 μm) were also found with the new measurement methods. Currently,
it is not possible to comment on the nature and chemical composition of these particles
according to the UBA.
(12)
Based on the available results, it is also not possible to make
comments on potential health risks.
(12)
The study results show that the measured UFP
concentrations lie within the range of daily indoor activities – such as for example
toasting, cooking, ironing or burning candles.
Recent studies of the Fraunhofer Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institute (FhG WKI) support these
observations and make the assumption that the determined UFPs are not solid particles
but condensation products or small droplets that are created during the thermal printing
process and measured as particles by particle counters.
(13)
Indoor measurements that
were recently conducted in the Netherlands show that exposure to UFPs does not seem to
be related to copying and printing activities.
(14)