SigEx Telecom : Printers may shorten your lifespan by Corina Ciubotaru

A study recently conducted by a team from Australia's International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health shows that pollution in your office could be very high due to intense use of laser printers. No particular brand of printers was found to be more polluting than others but the toner is considered to be the component that's doing all the damage. It seems that full toners in use produce very small particles that can enter our lungs and cause long-term problems; this just adds to the long list of things that kill us slowly when at work, along with cigarette smoke, heating and cooling equipment and ventilation systems. Another study conducted in Helsinki in 1999 shows that chemicals used in copy self-copying paper and photo copying machines led to breathing problems. This study also found that working in front of a computer for long hours will cause eye and muscle problems, but this particular finding shouldn't surprise anyone anymore. Strong light and glare from computer monitors cause eyes to feel sore, as do flickering neon lights, both of which should regularly be changed to avoid severe problems. All of this pollution is reducing productivity and causing what is known as "the sick building syndrome", making workers lose about 4.5 work hours a week. These are frequent problems in the life of today's worker, who also has to face stress and longer working hours. The best advice are to have your desk close to a window for natural light, to replace or clean light bulbs once in a while, move copy machines to a separate and ventilated area and keep your own office well ventilated.

related story: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleId=1E331C74-E7F2-99DF-37898DA0522FD626&chanId=sa003

by Corina Ciubotaru for SigEx Telecom (http://sigex.com)

SigEx Telecom is quickly becoming the leading telebroadcasting communications provider allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share video clips through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, websites, blogs, video-mails and SMS. SigEx Telecom captures many add-on services for its clients generating royalties and fees in a broad spectrum of marketing services including public relations and promotions.