The Recycler Issue 316

WORLD FOCUS
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GLOBAL Xerox, Toner, Styrene
Concerns raised over printer-related health problems
This month, worries over the potential health hazards of printing have been making headlines, and Xerox has been
weighing in on the issue.
The aftermarket industry has already
been troubled by the discovery of DecaBDE
in some third-party cartridges, but now
tests conducted by Xerox on Chinese
manufactured toner have also revealed
worrying levels of styrene.
As the OEM explained, some people opt
to buy third-party toner cartridges out of a
desire to save money – but the cartridges
they purchase could potentially pose a
serious health risk.
Xerox’s Analytical Services Department
tested a widely available Chinesemanufactured
aftermarket toner designed
for use with the Xerox Phaser 6510 printer.
“The results,” said Xerox, “shocked us.”
The styrene levels contained in the
aftermarket toner were at 650 parts per
million (ppm) vs. 4 ppm in Xerox genuine
toner, a difference of 16,510 percent.
Xerox explained that its safety guideline
for this substance is less than 25 ppm.
The OEM went on to warn that “You
might be putting your health, and the
health of others, at risk by using bargainbrand
toner cartridges” as they can
“introduce higher amounts of styrene into
the indoor office air you and your coworkers
breathe each workday.”
According to the Agency for Toxic
Substances & Disease Registry, exposure to
styrene “may harm you”, though to what
degree will depend on the amount and the
circumstances of exposure.
Styrene, which “is widely used to make
plastics and rubber”, has been found to
affect the nervous systems of workers
exposed to the chemical, causing “changes
in colour vision, tiredness, feeling drunk,
slowed reaction time, concentration
problems, and balance problems.”
In addition, the Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) has listed the
chemical as “reasonably anticipated to be a
human carcinogen”, findings reiterated by
California’s Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, which has cited
studies showing that styrene “increased the
incidence of combined malignant and
benign lung tumours.”
Consequently, in April 2016, the State of
California put styrene on its list of
chemicals known to cause cancer.
Xerox concluded its revelations about its
styrene tests by explaining that “Through
the oversight of the Xerox Environmental
Health & Safety organisation, we’ve long
worked toward minimising the use of
hazardous substances in our products.”
Significantly, the tests conducted by the
OEM have not been the only studies to raise
troubling questions over the potential
dangers of printing.
As CHEMISTRY WORLD reports, Philip
Demokritou and a team of researchers has
led a five-year study into the health
implications of these nanomaterials,
conducting in vitro and in vivo studies “to
assess the specific toxicological effects of
these nanoparticles in animals.” Their
findings reveal that these nanoparticles can
become airborne, “enter the lungs and even
reach the bloodstream.”
These nanoparticles are found in toners
used in laser printers. During the printing
process, the particles “can react with volatile
organic compounds to form potentially
carcinogenic compounds, which people can
inhale and accumulate in their lungs.”
Demokritou and his researchers utilised
nuclear magnetic spectroscopy and gas
chromatography mass spectrometry during
their study. They proved that “low
molecular weight gaseous polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons from toner powders
interact with these catalytic nanoparticles
and, under the high temperatures used
during printing, form high molecular
weight species.”
These high molecular species are
potentially both carcinogenic and
mutagenic.
According to Demokritou, “assessing
the nano-risk early on during product
development while there is still a window to
apply “safer-by-design” approaches can
maximise the benefits of using nanoscale
materials while minimising the potential
health implications”.
As a result of this study’s revelations,
Demokritou has now become part of
a partnership between Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore and
Harvard, aimed at examining the effects of
long-term nanomaterial exposure in
humans.
ASIA HYB, New Partnership
HYB and Daiken forge new partnership
HYB has announced that, following “a fruitful discussion”, the company has entered a strategic partnership with
DAIKEN CHEMICAL CO, LTD.
As a result of this new alliance, HYB (full
name, Zhuhai HaoYinBao Printing
Consumables Co, Ltd) has become
DAIKEN’s authorised toner distributor
for the global market.
DAIKEN has been in business since
1951, specialising in “distinctive research
to develop different kinds of chemicals”,
as HYB explains, with its core business
centred around the bulk production of
colour toner for use in imaging devices.
According to HYB, DAIKEN is “glad”
to welcome HYB as its new distributor,
which should help “drive the growth of
the business for both parties.”
Osamu Minokawa, Sales Manager at
DAIKEN, along with the rest of the
company’s management team, has “a
high expectation” of this new
partnership, which is described as
“another piece of positive news for
HYB.”
Indeed, HYB has been no stranger to
positive outcomes in recent months, as
in 2018 the company was able to report
various fruitful business developments,
among them the naming of new
distributors in Zimbabwe and Italy, as
well as the unveiling of a new multifunctional
hall in South America, and
a Ministry certification awarded by
China’s Ministry of Environmental
Protection.
12 THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 316 • MARCH 2019