Abstract
Several studies have reported laser printers as significant sources of nanosized particles (<0.1 μm). Laser printers are used occupationally in office environments and by consumers in their homes. The current work combines existing epidemiological and toxicological evidence on particle-related health effects, measuring doses as mass, particle number and surface area, to estimate and compare the potential risks in occupational and consumer exposure scenarios related to the use of laser printers. The daily uptake of laser printer particles was estimated based on measured particle size distributions and lung deposition modelling. The obtained daily uptakes (particle mass 0.15–0.44 μg d−1; particle number 1.1–3.1 × 109 d−1) were estimated to correspond to 4–13 (mass) or 12–34 (number) deaths per million persons exposed on the basis of epidemiological risk estimates for ambient particles. These risks are higher than the generally used definition of acceptable risk of 1 × 10−6, but substantially lower than the estimated risks due to ambient particles. Toxicological studies on ambient particles revealed consistent values for lowest observed effect levels (LOELs) which were converted into equivalent daily uptakes using allometric scaling. These LOEL uptakes were by a factor of about 330–1,000 (mass) and 1,000–2,500 (particle surface area) higher than estimated uptakes from printers. This toxicological assessment would indicate no significant health risks due to printer particles. Finally, our study suggests that particle number (not mass) and mass (not surface area) are the most conservative risk metrics for the epidemiological and toxicological risks presented here, respectively.
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Abbreviations
- AMD:
-
Area mean diameter; particle surface area weighted particle diameter
- CMD:
-
Count median diameter; median particle diameter of an particle number distribution
- GSD:
-
Geometric standard deviation
- LOEL:
-
Lowest observed effect level
- LTLS:
-
Low toxicity low solubility particles
- MMD:
-
Mass mean diameter; particle mass weighted particle diameter
- NC:
-
Particle number concentration (particles per cm³)
- PM (PM2.5, PM10):
-
Particulate matter (particle size below 2.5 or 10 μm)
- RR:
-
Relative risk (of exposed group in comparison to non-exposed in an epidemiological study)
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Acknowledgements
This study was conducted as part of the EU FP6 funded project NANOSAFE 2: Safe production and use of nanomaterials (NMP2-CT-2005-515843), Subproject 4, Health, Societal and Environmental aspects. We would like to express our gratitude to Jacques Bouillard, INERIS; over all risk assessment framework; safety issues; physiology based pharmacokinetic modelling of translocation; Carsten Möhlmann (BGIA); occupational exposure and concentration measurements; Peter Hoet, Catholic University of Louvain; general and specific toxicity of nanomaterials; Tony Harker and Sachit Vohra, University College London; life cycle analysis of carbon black used in tires; and Lidia Morawska; nanoparticle emissions from laser printers.
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Hänninen, O., Brüske-Hohlfeld, I., Loh, M. et al. Occupational and consumer risk estimates for nanoparticles emitted by laser printers. J Nanopart Res 12, 91–99 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-009-9693-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-009-9693-z