re toner hazards (was Re: Conductive Dust Bunnies)

[Howard J. Scrimgeour]

In article <1419 at cbnewsc.ATT.COM> levy at cbnewsc.ATT.COM (Daniel R. Levy) writes:
>In article <321 at cbnewsi.ATT.COM>, fiesta at cbnewsi.ATT.COM (eric.c.beck) writes:
>< > photocopier. If you want to know how much toner they throw into the 
>< > atmosphere, look at the walls and carpet or your photocopier room. Black 
>< > lung disease an occupational health problem in the reprographics dept?
>< 
>< 	A copier tech once told me that the toner could be absorbed into
>< the body through the skin (!?) afterwhich it would collect in the kidneys
>< and cause "permanent" damage (e.g. clog them up).  Anybody else ever here
>< of this??
>
>I've cross posted to sci.med in hopes of getting a reply.  As for my $0.02,
>there's a guy in my group who has a son in the photocopier repair business,
>and he tells me that airborne toner can be absorbed through the lungs and
>work its way OUT through the skin.  He says he's not pulling my leg.
>(Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.....)
>-- 

Hmmm. Well, for what my opinion's worth, I don't buy it. Toner particles are 
pretty fine, but they won't penetrate intact skin. They're fine enough to 
penetrate fairly deeply into lungs, where I'd expect them to be either
trapped or cleared. Since they're comprised of a thermoplastic, I'd expect
them to be pretty well inert.

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| Howard J. Scrimgeour, D.V.M.                                           |
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