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Laser Printers as Bad for You as Cigarettes

by Tim Stevens on August 1, 2007 at 09:15 AM

Laser Printing: The New Black Lung?When it comes to economical printing and crisp text, it's hard to beat a laser printer. They'll spit out thousands of sharply defined pages on a single toner cartridge before needing replacement, all while hardly making a sound (and only dimming the lights a little). However, those benefits apparently come at a cost: your health. A new study from Queensland University of Technology indicates that laser printers emit clouds of fine particles when they're in use, particles that are similar to "cigarette smoke and motor vehicle emissions."

This means they're incredibly small and can get deep into your lungs and ultimately your bloodstream. Given that similar particles have shown to be factors in lung cancer, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to open a window the next time you're printing out that manuscript of yours ... assuming you ever manage to write more than a page. Maybe you should just stick with poetry.

From Engadget

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Tags: breaking+news, health, Laser, Printer, top

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