Health and safety experts all over the world appear to be undecided on the topic of whether printers can cause health problems for employees in a workplace environment. A research report from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia has this month indicated that simple office printers could cause breathing difficulties, in the same way as passive smoking. The research pays particular attention to the use of toner in laser printers, and the potential effects of tiny air-born spores getting into the human respiratory system, where lung damage could occur and cause breathing difficulties.
A spokesperson at printer and computer manufacturer Hewlett Packard (HP) stated, "Although HP has not had access to all of the specific methodologies used in this research, based on what we've seen in the report and in other scientific studies - as well as our own work in this area - we believe that there is no conclusive link between the emissions results and public health risk."
Evidence to suggest that printers should be re-classified as hazardous machinery in Great Britain and Northern Ireland appears to be limited. The procedures to measure ultra-fine particles from electronic devices like office printers are still part of a very new scientific field. Further research is currently being carried out in the US and Germany in order to provide employers and employees with definitive answers on the issue.
