Toner News Mobile › Forums › Latest Industry News › *NEWS* HP DENIES PRINTER DUST DANGER
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AnonymousInactiveSurprise! HP Denies Laser Printer Dust Danger
On
Wednesday, we covered a new study from Australian scientists which
claimed that laser printers could emit dangerous micro particles,
possibly causing health problems, including cancer.The results are in,
and the published paper is now online. Tests were carried out both in a
normal Brisbane office building and back at the lab in a filtered,
particle free chamber. And Hewlett Packard feature big on the league
table, taking 12 of the 13 spots for high level emissions, against one
for Toshiba (the Studio 450).HP, not surprisingly, weren’t to happy
about this. Today I received an email from Rob McMurtrie of PR firm
Porter Novelli, which included a statement form Tuan Tran, HP’s vice
president of marketing for supplies (you can read the whole statement
at the end of this post).”There are no indications that ultrafine
particle (UFP) emissions from laser printing systems are associated
with special health risks,” says Tran, “[…] many of the UFPs found in
common household and office products are not discrete solid particles,
but may be condensation products or small droplets created during
thermal processes”.This sounds like doublespeak. Sure, the particles
may not be particles, but this kind of fluff seems aimed at pacifying
the public. McMurtie also sent me a link to a post on correlation and
causality in scientific research, which is entertaining and makes a
good point.Professor Lidia Morawska, in charge of the study, admits
that “further investigation should be conducted for this phenomena”,
with which we agree. In the meantime, don’t sit too close to the
printer.After a preliminary review of the Queensland
University of Technology research on particle emission characteristics
of office printers, HP does not agree with its conclusion or some of
the bold claims the authors have made recently in press reports.HP
stands behind the safety of its products. Testing of ultrafine
particles is a very new scientific discipline. There are no indications
that ultrafine particle (UFP) emissions from laser printing systems are
associated with special health risks. Currently, the nature and
chemical composition of such particles – whether from a laser printer
or from a toaster – cannot be accurately characterized by analytical
technology. However, many experts believe that many of the UFPs found
in common household and office products are not discrete solid
particles, but may be condensation products or small droplets created
during thermal processes.HP agrees more testing in this area is needed,
which is why we’ve been active with two of the world’s leading
independent authorities on this subject: Air Quality Sciences in the
United States and the Wilhelm-Klauditz Institute in Germany. Vigorous
tests are an integral part of HP’s research and development and its
strict quality-control procedures. HP LaserJet printing systems,
original HP print cartridges and papers are tested for dust release and
possible material emissions and are compliant with all applicable
international health and safety requirements. In addition to meeting or
exceeding these guidelines, HP’s design criteria for its laser printing
systems incorporate guidelines from both the Blue Angel program in
Germany and the Greenguard program in the United States.Based on our
own testing, HP knows that many variables can affect the outcome of
tests for ultrafine particle emissions. Although HP is not aware of all
of the specific methodologies used in the Queensland study, based on
what we’ve seen in the report – as well as our own work in this area –
we do not believe there is a link between printer emissions and any
public health risk. Specifically, HP does not see an association
between printer use by customers and negative health effects for
volatile organic compounds, ozone or dust. While we recognize
ultrafine, fine, and coarse particles are emitted from printing
systems, these levels are consistently below recognized occupational
exposure limits.HP hopes to learn more from the study authors about how
products were chosen for the study, how ranges were determined given no
standards exist, and many other factors that could have influenced the
results. -
AuthorAugust 8, 2007 at 11:48 AM
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