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Research and Development Washington, DC 20460 ABSTRACT United Slates EPA- 600 R- 95-045 7 Enwronmental Protection ZL6ILI Agency March 1995 i= Research and Developmen t OFFICE EQUIPMENT: DESIGN, INDOOR AIR EMISSIONS, AND POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITIES Prepared for Office of Radiation and Indoor Air Prepared by Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory Research Triangle Park NC 2771 1 EPA REVIEW NOTICE This report has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policy of the Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Informa- tion Service. Springfield, Virginia 22161. EPA- 600 I R- 95-045 March 1995 Office Equipment: Design, Indoor Air Emissions, and Pollution Prevention Opportunities by: Robert Hetes Mary Moore (Now at Cadmus, Inc.) Coleen Northeim Research Triangle Institute Center for Environmental Analysis Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 EPA Cooperative Agreement CR822025-01 EPA Project Officer: Kelly W. Leovic Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory Research Triangle Park, NC 2771 1 Prepared for: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ofice of Research and Development Washington, DC 20460 ABSTRACT The objective of this initial report is to summarize available information on office ~ equipment design; indoor air emissions of organics, ozone, and particulates from office ~ equipment; and pollution prevention approaches for reducing these emissions. It should be noted that much of the existing emissions data from office equipment are proprietary and not available in the general literature and are therefore not included in this report. This report covers (1) dry ~ and wet process photoimaging machines (copiers, printers, and faxes); (2) spirit duplicators; (3) mimeograph machines; (4) digital duplicators; (5) diazo (blueprint) machines; (6) computers and computer terminals; (7) impact matrix printers; and (8) other equipment types. r The office environment contains many types of equipment that emit indoor air pollutants. Emissions may occur as a result of equipment operation, offgassing from components, or episodic releases related to catastrophic failure of a unit. For equipment that does not use supplies (e.g., video display terminals) emissions are primarily from offgassing of residual organics. In general, published data on the emissions from office equipment are limited. However, increased levels of ozone, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC),and particulates have been observed in the presence of operating equipment and have been associated with complaints by exposed workers. Published emission rates, IAQ impacts, and potential pollution prevention solutions associated with the equipment types are discussed in this report. Dry-process photoimaging machines have been identified as a high priority for researching pollution prevention efforts. Dry-process photoimaging machines use a technology and design which is found in laser printers, most photocopiers and fax machines. These machines are prevalent in most office environments and are a known source of ozone (up to 158 pgkheet or 1350 pg/min), particulate, and VOC (up to 16 pglsheet) emissions. Of all dry-process machines, photocopiers have been selected for initial focus because they are common and range in size from small personal models that can affect localized IAQ and lead to significant personal exposure to large machines with the potential for relatively high emission rates which can individually impact IAQ. Laser printers were identified as a secondary priority for pollution prevention research given that they are much smaller in terms of throughput and concomitant emission rates than photocopiers. Wet-process photocopiers have been shown to be a major contributor to indoor air VOC levels (up to 35 mg/m3) in several studies and have significantly greater emissions than dry- process machines on a per unit basis. However, wet-process machines constitute a small part of the photocopier market. Computers and dot matrix printers have emissions generally related to ~ outgassing from electronic components and basic construction materials. These emissions are highest for new machines and diminish rapidly with time. Other equipment that may have high individual emission rates includes spirit duplicators, mimeograph machines, plotters, and diazo - (blueprint) machines. However, this equipment is rather specialized, with limited numbers of units in operation. .. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................... ii __ Lists of Figures and Tables ...................................... v 1 1.0 Introduction .............................................. ~ ~~ 1.1 Background ........................................... 1 1.2 EPA Research on Office Equipment ........................... 1 ~ 2.0 Photoimaging Machines ........................................ 4 2.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................. 4 2.2 Dry-Process Photoimaging Machines .......................... 9 2.2.1 Dry-Process Photocopiers ............................ 10 2.2.2 Dry-Process Laser Printers ........................... 10 2.2.3 FaxMachines .................................... 10 2.2.4 Supplies Used .................................... 11 2.2.5 Indoor Air Emissions Data-- Dry Process Photoimaging Machines . 13 2.2.5.1 Ozone ................................... 14 2.2.5.2 Particulates ................................ 15 2.2.5.3 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) ............... 16 2.3 Wet-Process Photoimaging Machines ......................... 17 2.3.1 Wet-Process Photocopiers ............................. 17 2.3.2 Wet-Process Printers ............................... 19 2.3.3 Supplies Used .................................... 20 2.3.4 Indoor Air Emissions Data--Wet Process Photoimaging Machines . 20 2.4 HealthConcerns ....................................... 21 2.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ........................... 23 3.0 Spirit Duplicators ........................................... 27 3.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 27 3.2 Supplies Used ........................................ 27 3.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data-- Spirit Duplicators ................... 30 3.4 Health Concerns ....................................... 31 3.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ............................. 33 4.0 Mimeograph Machines ....................................... 35 4.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 35 4.2 Supplies Used ........................................ 35 4.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data-- Mimeograph Machines ................ 37 4.4 HealthConcerns ....................................... 38 4.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ........................... 38 5.0 Digital Duplicators .......................................... 39 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) __ . 5.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 39 5.2 Supplies Used ........................................ 39 . 5.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data.. Digital Duplicators ...................41 5.4 Healthconcerns ....................................... 41 5.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ........................... 41 6.0 Diazo (Blueprint) Machines .................................... 42 6.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 44 6.2 Supplies Used ......................................... 44 6.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data.. Diazo Machines ..................... 45 6.4 Health Concerns ....................................... 46 6.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ............................ 46 7.0 Computers and Computer Terminals ............................... 47 7.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 47 7.2 Supplies.Used ......................................... 48 7.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data--Compute.rs and Computer Terminals .......48 7.4 Healthconcerns ....................................... 50 7.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ........................... 50 8.0 Impact Matrix Printers ....................................... 51 8.1 Equipment Design and Operation ............................ 51 8.2 Supplies Used ........................................ 51 8.3 Indoor Air Emissions Data-. Impact Matrix Printers ................51 8.4 Health Concerns ....................................... 52 8.5 Pollution Prevention Opportunities ........................... 52 9.0 Other Equipment Types ....................................... 53 9.1 Specialized Equipment ................................... 53 9.2 Office Products ....................................... 55 10.0 summary ............................................. 56 I_ 11.0 References ............................................... 63 - Appendix A .Other Sources of Information on Indoor Air Emissions from Office Equipment ...................................... A-1 iv Lists of Figures and Tables Figure 1 Six Steps in the Photoimaging Process .............................. 5 2 How Photoimaging Transfers the Image to Paper ....................... 6 3 Schematic of Toner Transfer to and from Photoconductive Drum ..............8 4 Spirit Duplicator ............................... ............28 5 The Mimeograph Process .......................... ............ 36 6 Cross Section of Typed Stencil ....................... ............36 7 Dry Diazo Copier ............................... ............43
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