GreenMachineShop.com

A couple German newspapers wrote about a study on “health risks of toner dust” by toxicologist Volker Mersch-Sundermann this weekend. According to the study the dust exposure in a room with a copy machine or printer can double.

Worse, when the printer starts, ultra-fine dust can be blown into the room. Those ultra-fine dust particles can reach the blood stream through the lungs. The dust consists of a complex mixes of copper and nickel, which can be responsible for allergies, as well as highly toxic tin compounds and ozone.

Mersch-Sundermann says, they are more concerned about the components than the concentration of the dust. The long-term exposure and impact of the dust for chronic illnesses is the biggest concern. Experiments with lung cell culture show that the DNA of those cells can be damaged when they come in contact with the dust, which can increase the risk of tumors.

People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome should be very concerned about the concentration and the composition of the dust. I talked to one toner victim a couple of days ago, who told me that toner exposure and then the ride home in a brand new car put her over the edge and she’s been with MCS since then.

Toner dust has for years been suspect to be linked to chronic asthma and potentially other chronic illnesses.

Sensitive people or people concerned about their health, and people diagnosed with Multiple-Chemical-Sensitivity-Syndrome should stay away from laser based copiers and printers. An ink jet or solid ink jet as available by various manufacturers is the better choice.