Killer Laser Printers Of Doom
When you’ve had enough of staring at photos of rapelling ninja squirells, do make sure that you contact your office immediately, and demand your boss moves the laser printer 8-foot further away from your desk.
Research announced just over an hour ago has revealed the serious health risks being imposed by killer laser printers. Australians researches have uncovered that a third of all laser printers emit harmful particles of loose toner, which it is believed, have a similar effect on the lungs as that of second hand smoke. (Enter ridiculously overstated EU regulations!) So who’s actually at risk? Let’s compare two completely different lifestyles and see who’ll die first. (This is the cheerful bit - believe me…)
Mr X
- Non-smoker.
- Workaholic.
- Sits in cubical with printer 8 hours a day.
Mrs Q
- Regular smoker.
- Unemployed.
- Sits at home smoking 8 ‘fags’ a day.
That’s eight hours worth of second hand smoke being breathed in, versus 8 cigarettes a day. Seems unfair, that the guy doing a legitimate job should die sooner than the unemployed Mrs Q. Just the way life works, I guess. Back to the logistics though… “The researchers carried out tests on more than 60 machines. Almost one-third were found to emit ultra-tiny particles of toner-like material, so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses. Conducted in an open-plan office, the test revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use. The problem was worse when new cartridges were used and when graphics and images required higher quantities of toner.”
Expect a big, bright red, capitalized warning notice on the next printer you buy. via BBC.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Well at least you don’t become addicted to the printers.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:10 am
LOL! But the real question is… Can you escape their wrath?
August 1st, 2007 at 7:09 am
I am sure our American friends know what David means by fags. Not gays. Smoking gays is wrong. Just wrong.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:16 am
I’m confused.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:37 am
aren’t fags, what British call cigarettes1? plus what does that have to do with laser printers?
August 1st, 2007 at 9:46 am
Did you read the article?
Cigarettes & laser printers have a similar effect on the lungs.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:15 pm
‘fags’
August 1st, 2007 at 3:37 pm
That’s really frightening news, will be staying away from laser prints for a while now.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
So are they going to ban printers in public places now? o_O;;;
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Hmm… I wonder what would happen if people starting using ‘fags’ in that sense in America? I’m sure the gay rights people would protest the very next day or something! That’s interesting though because I never knew that term was used for anything else.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:30 pm
I had no idea it meant anything other than cigarettes… Weird.
I’ll have to be careful what I say next time I’m in America!
August 8th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
[…] So I’m out on the hunt and it’s not as easy as I would have hoped. Having mentally ruled out the possibility of getting a laser printer (check the explanation), I’ve decided that a nice Lexmark, wireless networked, scanner/printer/photocopier should do the job nicely. The darn thing is… The stupid printer cartridges cost so flaming much. In a year and a half, I’d end up paying more for the ink than I would for the whole printer. Crazy, huh? I’m pretty darn sure that this is some hyped up conspiracy theory. The rich (the printer companies) get richer (by grossly overcharging for ink cartridges), and the poor (or not as the case may be), get poorer. Thankfully it’s not just me who’s noticed this though. PCWorld also wrote about the problem we’ve got, all be it, four years ago. It just shows how little the situation has changed though. […]
November 8th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
[…] This is one argument that I won’t let drop… Ink Cartridges and their (to say the least) absolutely RIDICULOUS pricing. I blogged about it back in August… What’s changed since then? Well, in all honesty, not that much. Laser printers are still killing people and the printer companies are still demanding borderline unbelievable prices for their cheap-as-pie to produce toner cartridges. […]
November 10th, 2008 at 4:00 am
A study emerging from Queensland University of Technology suggests that laser printers can emit clouds of ultra-fine particles that compare to “cigarette smoke and motor vehicle emissions.” Reportedly, 13 out of 40 models tested were deemed “high emitters” of particles from the toner, and while office photocopiers failed to produce similar results, concentrations of microscopic particles near laser printers were found to be “five times higher than outdoor levels often produced by traffic” in a given investigation. Currently, no efforts have been made to actually study the chemistry of the emissions, but considering that such fine objects could easily sink “to the very lowest reaches of the lungs”.
——————
Sarah
Killer Laser Printers Of Doom
SEO