EPA sees link between office equipment and air quality
By Staff -- Purchasing, 9/15/1998 2:00:00 AM
Although osha still has not come out with an indoor-air standard, research by EPA and others points to copiers, printers, and other office machines as pollution sources. The main pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone, and particulates. Manufacturers have collaborated with some of the research and in some cases have voluntarily adopted strategies to reduce VOCs in their products.
In a report released in July, EPA's National Risk Management Laboratory says indoor-air quality poses one of the most important environmental risks to national health. Because people spend 90% of their time indoors, the increased use of computers, photocopiers, printers, and fax machines increases potential for indoor pollution that has, in some cases, been associated with complaints of headache, mucous irritation, and dryness in the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. Among findings of the report:
* In new nonresidential buildings VOC levels can be up to 100-times levels found outdoors.
* Traditional approaches for improving indoor-air quality through such methods as ventilation and air cleaning, simply transfer the pollution to another medium or to the outside.
* Dry-process photocopiers were identified as a high priority for testing and investigation of pollution prevention options because they are so prevalent and are known sources of ozone, VOCs, and particulate emissions.
* Laser printers, which use technology similar to that used in copiers, have similar emissions. Because they are operated less intensively, they are considered secondary priority for testing.
* Computers, fax machines, and dot-matrix printers emit gasses from electronic components and basic construction materials. "Although they may impact localized [indoor-air quality] and are found in most office settings, their total combined impact on [indoor-air quality] is likely to be less than dry-process photocopiers," says the report.
In tests on four copiers from four different manufacturers (not identified), ozone emission rates vary from 1,300 milligrams/hour (for a machine advertised as low-ozone emitting) to 7,900 mg/hr. For VOCs, the lowest emission rates were for a copier with a monocomponent rather than dual-component toner cartridge.
For a copy of EPA's Report titled, "Indoor Air Emissions from Office Equipment" (EPA-600/R-98-080) write the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161, For updates on EPA's indoor-air quality research, buyers can check the EPA's National Risk Management Lab Web site at epa.gov/docs/crb/iemb/iembhp.htm.
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