how much ventilation is really needed for digital presses?

[TJPrinter]

Ricoh said we don't need any special ventilation. No dangerous fumes will be emitted from the machines they said and the room looks fine.

I think they gave you the short answer that under normal circumstances there should not be an air quality problem. The long answer would be that since something in the copy room environment is negatively affecting you, then the air quality should be looked at. The fact that you have a smaller space and can sometimes run the two machines for extended periods would indicate that they could very well create a air quality problem.

I wouldn’t go too long without getting an answer especially on the ozone because repeated exposure to elevated ozone levels over longer periods can cause long term tissue damage to your lungs.

The simple solution may be that you need to increase the number of air changes per hour that your copy room has. Increased exhaust and increased fresh air.

I did come across another piece from Xerox about air quality and it gives some details on air changes per hour. Maybe you could use it as an incentive to convince someone that the air quality could be a health problem. Good luck!

 

[smalloffsetpressexperts]

I think they gave you the short answer that under normal circumstances there should not be an air quality problem. The long answer would be that since something in the copy room environment is negatively affecting you, then the air quality should be looked at. The fact that you have a smaller space and can sometimes run the two machines for extended periods would indicate that they could very well create a air quality problem.

I wouldn’t go too long without getting an answer especially on the ozone because repeated exposure to elevated ozone levels over longer periods can cause long term tissue damage to your lungs.

The simple solution may be that you need to increase the number of air changes per hour that your copy room has. Increased exhaust and increased fresh air.

I did come across another piece from Xerox about air quality and it gives some details on air changes per hour. Maybe you could use it as an incentive to convince someone that the air quality could be a health problem. Good luck!

Does the Ozone ventellated to the outside contribute to global warming as well as the power demands?

 

[Sertech]

Does the Ozone ventellated to the outside contribute to global warming as well as the power demands?

Ozone outside reacts with sunlight becoming smog. Power demands would depend on how your electricity is generated. If ozone is a big worry, I would say look for machines that charge with pin arrays or charging rollers. Charging rollers generate no ozone, the way pin arrays work generate considerable less ozone.

 

[TJPrinter]

Does the Ozone ventellated to the outside contribute to global warming as well as the power demands?

I too have a concern for global warming so yes, expelling man made ozone into the atmosphere would contribute to global warming. At this point we don’t know if any level of ozone is present in the OP copy room or that any level of measurable ozone is being produced by the two machines. We only know that there is a concern for overall health that should be addressed. It’s possible that the entire office building that houses the copy room has inadequate fresh air intake.

The question is, is this a situation that falls into the questionable category and creating an unhealthy environment for the OP? A small room with inadequate ventilation can create an unhealthy environment with 2 machines in it or 20 people in it.

I believe that the paper from Xerox would indicate that the OP should have a look at the air quality and air changes per hour in the copy room to ensure that it falls into the normal circumstance category. The paper answers the original question “how much ventilation is really needed for digital presses?”

 

[smalloffsetpressexperts]

I too have a concern for global warming so yes, expelling man made ozone into the atmosphere would contribute to global warming. At this point we don’t know if any level of ozone is present in the OP copy room or that any level of measurable ozone is being produced by the two machines. We only know that there is a concern for overall health that should be addressed. It’s possible that the entire office building that houses the copy room has inadequate fresh air intake.

The question is, is this a situation that falls into the questionable category and creating an unhealthy environment for the OP? A small room with inadequate ventilation can create an unhealthy environment with 2 machines in it or 20 people in it.

I believe that the paper from Xerox would indicate that the OP should have a look at the air quality and air changes per hour in the copy room to ensure that it falls into the normal circumstance category. The paper answers the original question “how much ventilation is really needed for digital presses?”

Great reply. I hesitate to believe a machine manufacturing paper on this issue. Best left up to independent experts. Unhealthy amounts of ground-level ozone pollution can aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, and increase the frequency of asthma attacks – especially in children and the elderly. That’s why states are required to meet federal air quality standards.
Better safe then sorry

 

[bcr]

thanks all for feedback. have had an initial chat with a supplier of filtration equipment and they have recommended either a hepa 13 or hepa 14 filtration system to remove any particulates, and a carbon filter to reduce odours. the cost was not high for one of those - between 800 to 100 EUR depending on model, so I am inclined to probably just order one right away.

At the same time, we are considering our options to get the air quality in the room monitored for emissions and particulates, and see if we can arrange for additional ventilation.

 

[LisaJ]

We use TN619 toner and it now comes with a warning that you are being exposed to styrene and says it is known to cause cancer! Google - "increased risks for lymphohematopoietic cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, and genetic damage in the white blood cells, or lymphocytes, of workers exposed to styrene.

 

[Ynot_UK]

We use TN619 toner and it now comes with a warning that you are being exposed to styrene and says it is known to cause cancer! Google - "increased risks for lymphohematopoietic cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, and genetic damage in the white blood cells, or lymphocytes, of workers exposed to styrene.

Here is the safety data sheet for TN619

 

[YourCastle]

I've got an absolutely foul chemical taste in my mouth though? Is that normal?

umm, maybe see a doctor? It might be a medical thing. It's probably ozone as several have said in this thread, but if it's still happening, see a doctor?

Also, you might have synesthesia. I do. While i have not been able to identify what triggers mine (could be sound, visual...), i'm lucky that when mine is triggered, I smell cinnamon and it's not very strong, so I'm very lucky

if anyone wants a cheap filtration system... $20 for a 20" box fan plus $10 for a 20"x20" merv/hepa 11-12 filter. It's not as great as the super expensive systems, but it helps and is cheap.