Health guidelines are often late to the party when it comes to the use of new technologies, especially when these technologies are exciting and easily accessible to the general public. At-home desktop 3D printing, with millions of systems already sold around the world, is no outlier. According to an article published in the Irish Independent, researchers from Dublin City University have found that the systems can release emissions into the air that could be detrimental to human health. The researchers have urged people to take additional measures when using 3D printers at home to combat the impact of emissions that can persist in the lungs.
“We were interested in indoor air pollution and what type of emissions are being released into the air that we breathe. We live 90% of our lives indoors,” said Dr. Aoife Morrin, from Dublin City University, who worked on the research with Dr. Melissa Finnegan and Colleen Lee Thach from the Insight Centre for Data Analytics. “We decided to look at the amount of emissions that consumer devices like 3D printers were releasing into the home environment. A lot of these devices are placed in the home and are Christmas presents and birthday presents for younger people who have very little awareness of the health and safety implications of these types of technologies.”
She said the team looked at both the particulates and the gases that are emitted from the device. “Particulates are very, very small pieces of plastic essentially that are being produced by the printer when it is printing and emitted into the indoor air,” said Dr. Morrin. “These particulates are very fine, small, and when we inhale them into our noses, they persist in our lungs. The smaller these particles are, the deeper into our lungs they go, and can be very detrimental to health… We also looked at what type of gas products were emitted from the process of 3D printing because again, gases are inhaled into the body and some of them can be potentially carcinogenic, for example.”
The findings apply to all 3D printers “whether it’s a high-end printer making medical devices or it’s a printer in a home making Christmas decorations.” Although some industrial systems are air-tight and are subject to more stringent particle control – due to health and safety regulations – that desktop 3D printers are not. “In an industry setting, there will be enclosures, ventilators in the room, and the emissions will be monitored,” said Dr. Morrin. “When we bring them into the home – these printers cost about €200 or so – and these come without any of that enclosure, ventilation, and are typically operated in less ventilated environments. The best thing you have is a window which may or may not be open.”
The researchers stated that they are “not trying to turn people off 3D printing,” but that awareness is crucial as people operate this same technology in two very different environments. Measures such as opening windows or wearing an appropriate mask (not the typical blue ones used during the pandemic) can provide some form of protection against 3D printer emissions in the home.
