HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS IN PRINTING

58An increased frequency of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes inprinting workers exposed to inter alia toluene was found in two studies, but not intwo other studies. In one study, an increased frequency of chromosomal aberrationswas found in workers exposed to toluene and benzene. In one study of a groupexposed to toluene, an increased frequency of sister chromatid exchange was found,but not in two other studies.In one study of printers exposed to lead, increased frequencies of chromosomalaberrations and sister chromatid exchange were found.In one study, an increased frequency of micronuclei was observed in printingworkers exposed to toluene. In one study of volunteers exposed to toluene, noincrease in sister chromatid exchange was observed in lymphocytes.As we can see that there is a clear relationship between hazardous chemicals usedin printing and illnesses. It is undeniable realism.3.7 Minimization of Health Impacts of Printing Chemicals3.7.1 UV PrintingNowadays there are innovations in printing like other sectors, and UV printing,UV cured inks and even UV cationic inks and lacquers have been developed.The implementation of the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) has had a major effect onthe coatings industry in terms of reducing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).Ultraviolet (UV) curing coatings have emerged as one of the efficient vehicles tochallenge the VOC limits in organic coatings . In addition, UV coatings also offer theadvantages of fast curing speed, high energy efficiency, and low capital investmentand space requirement. These coatings are especially suitable for the wood(furniture) or plastics coating, metal decorating, and paper printing industries. This isa consequence of an ambient temperature cure . There are two principle mechanismsin which the UV coatings polymerize on the substrates, free radical and cationic(Wua, Searsa, Souceka& Simonsickb, 1999). The most widely used in UV-radiation