Extensive testing has proven that laser printers emit particulate matter. That’s why the air quality in some offices is worse than the air in the immediate area of a freeway with average traffic levels.
Why is fine dust so dangerous?
Fine dust is an air pollutant and poses a risk to health - and the earth's climate. The fine dust particles can enter the human body through respiration and cause a wide variety of negative reactions.
Depending on the size of the particles, high levels of particulate matter promote the development of asthma, allergies, cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Smaller dust particles, e.g. from laser printers, settle much more easily in the body.
The biggest sources of particulate matter outdoors include combustion engines, coal-fired power plants, industrial facilities, brake and tire abrasion from vehicles, and agriculture.
Indoors, laser printers are among the most important sources of particulate matter, along with toasters, candles and gas stoves. In offices, therefore, widely used laser printers are a potential risk. Many workers spend their entire working hours not far from them, unknowingly exposing themselves to health hazards.
Fine dust filters for laser printers significantly reduce the contamination of office air. Furthermore, if the office rooms are ventilated regularly, the air quality is improved even further.
70 percent of German workers potentially affected
Fine dust emissions from laser printers pose a health risk to German workers, according to recent research. More than 70% of the printing devices used in German offices are laser printers, which release dust particles that are invisible to the eye with every printout and can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream through inhalation. The fine dust pollution in office rooms caused by some printer models even equals that of a main traffic road.
How the fine dust filter for laser printer works
The new particulate filter consists of environmentally compatible, completely recyclable nonwoven fabrics. Thanks to its three-layer structure and the electrostatically charged microfibers in the middle layer, even the smallest particles, which can enter the lungs, are permanently absorbed – regardless of the specific chemical composition of the particulates emitted.
Each of the three layers performs an important task:
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The first layer filters larger dust particles.
- The second layer binds smaller particles thanks to electrostatically charged microfibers.
- The third layer is extremely fine-pored and filters even the smallest fine dust particles
- 94% max: The average filter performance of particles between 0.0001 and 0.002 mm in size is 85% to 94% at a maximum filter flow rate of 2m/min.
- Test report TÜV Nord dated 11.10.2017 on behalf of tesa SE.
- Brüning, Thomas et al. Evaluation of the health effects of toner dusts for humans at the workplace. Berufsgenossenschaftliches Forschungsinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin, 2006, p. 14 ff.
