help

[ZippyDan]

i sit right next to a brother laser printer at work

it prints rather frequently during the day, and every time it does i get a delicious whiff of toner and cancer

i think it is slowly killing me

what should i do?

 

[bruceb]

Change or move your desk. Or move the Printer.
If all else fails, talk with boss about relocating printer
and if that is futile, then call OSHA ... see what they say.

 

[ZippyDan]

i'm actually in charge of IT, so moving the printer is no problem. i guess i'm wondering what the real solution is to the potential problem of toner pollution. if i move it elsewhere in the office, it is still contained in an enclosed room and it's still getting in the air. has anyone really followed up on the potential health risks since they were "discovered" almost 3 years ago? what is the solution?

http://news.cnet.com/2100-1041_3-6200085.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/01/PRINTERS.TMP&tsp=1

 

[Lemon law]

For what its worth, my nose is within 18" of the front of a brother laser printer as I type this post. But I do two things. (1) I clean the insides on a regular basis and remove loose toner. (2) Especially since I do not print often, I simply leave my laser off when not printing, turn it on briefly to print, I leave the room while it prints, and then turn it off when done printing. And since the fan on the laser is not constantly blowing all the time, the fan is not the culprit that keeps Toner dust suspended. If I wanted additional safety, I could put a filter right in back of the fan.

Whoopee, it takes an extra 10 seconds warm up time before I can print, but I save eight watts of power all the time the laser is off.

 

[ZippyDan]

For what its worth, my nose is within 18" of the front of a brother laser printer as I type this post. But I do two things. (1) I clean the insides on a regular basis and remove loose toner. (2) Especially since I do not print often, I simply leave my laser off when not printing, turn it on briefly to print, I leave the room while it prints, and then turn it off when done printing. And since the fan on the laser is not constantly blowing all the time, the fan is not the culprit that keeps Toner dust suspended. If I wanted additional safety, I could put a filter right in back of the fan.

Whoopee, it takes an extra 10 seconds warm up time before I can print, but I save eight watts of power all the time the laser is off.

Not an option. This printer prints at least 30 times per day on a slow day. And there is another laser at the opposite side of the room that prints at least as much as well.

 

[corkyg]

Lasers are found to emit many irritating pollutants. They have long been known to em it ozone created by the corona wire.

http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=87

Some lasers (HP) have built in filters for the ozone, but many of the other emiisions persist.

Moving it into a swell ventilated closet or space would help. BTW - the same caveats apply to electrostatic copiers. All of these machines should be placed in the same, well ventilated room or space.