Danger Will Robinson!
So a colleague of mine passed me an article today and the hazards that some 3D printers may cause, such as carcinogenic gases and microscopic particles that could lead to lung irritation. This sounded like a sideways sale pitch as they advocated this much more expensive printer called Rize which costs in the 7k range. Anybody out there have any data regarding the safety(or lack thereof) of Prusa?
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
So a colleague of mine passed me an article today and the hazards that some 3D printers may cause, such as carcinogenic gases and microscopic particles that could lead to lung irritation. This sounded like a sideways sale pitch as they advocated this much more expensive printer called Rize which costs in the 7k range. Anybody out there have any data regarding the safety(or lack thereof) of Prusa?
Don't huff the fumes and you will be fine.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
So a colleague of mine passed me an article today and the hazards that some 3D printers may cause, such as carcinogenic gases and microscopic particles that could lead to lung irritation.
If we're talking about current consumer-level FFF printers, they all produce ultra-fine particles (UFPs) that are an unknown quantity in terms of human health. UFPs originate from many sources, including laser printers and freeways. In general, try to minimize exposure "just in case" as the thinking is that these are absorbed into the body and never leave, so probably not of any benefit long-term. Different materials produce different quantities of UFPs, with ABS often cited as producing high levels, PLA lower and PETG very low. There was an interesting mention of a study done by NASA during research into the use of FFF printing in space in which they noted that drying filament thoroughly significantly reduced UFPs produced for most filament types.
Noxious fumes and carcinogenic content are an altogether different topic, and depend on the materials being printed. ABS is known for emitting styrene, which is definitely bad stuff. PLA and PETG (among others) do not.
In general, operate with good ventilation and don't expose yourself unnecessarily. There are high-end products that do incorporate filtration, bu they tend to be quite pricey. The risk is probably about the same as working with painting, fiberglass and any other hobbyist materials. Just follow precautions.
Do be aware of the limitations of your equipment. Many of the low-end printers are rated to print at temps up to 250C, despite the fact that they use hotends with PTFE (teflon) tubing run down to the nozzle. At temps above 200C research has shown that PTFE can release sufficient neurotoxins to kill birds with only a short exposure. (Recalling from memory here.) This is one of the reason the extra cost of an all-metal hotend as used in the Prusa Mk3 is worthwhile. For many hobbyists, the concern is degradation of the PTFE tubing when it should be human health. If you start working with more exotic filaments, read up on the safety data.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Also - it is important to note UFP means really really small; particles so small a 2.5um counter won't see them. The up side is there have been studies done with mammals 'ingesting' PLA residuals and so far they haven't found any side effects other than slight irritation at the injection sites.
PLA is after all a biodegradable plastic made from plants.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Ah yes, I read that article too... There is no link to original study and such, but a sales pitch to some manufacturer instead. There is at least link to tech.. .crunch? radar? some tech site which has a bit better article.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Why read an article when you can read the study?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319304196
This is what you guys are talking about, right? They suggest to air out the room after/while printing.
A filtering system embedded in the 3D printer tested in this study was not found to be effective in reducing VOC emissions.
Increasing air exchange/ventilation, increasing air circulation or installing a ventilation hood, or isolation of the emissions source and redirecting the effluent emissions are other methods that may reduce exposure concentrations. However, emission reduction methods that a typical user can apply are limited and may be ineffective on reducing exposure levels especially for VOCs with low allowable concentrations.
Also a laser printer emits more VOCs
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
It is an interesting study. I am not sure how much significant the VOCs have. I would like to see more evidence.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
It entirely depends on the study: some are conducted better than others. Simply measuring outgassing and making comments is one method, but forcing animals into the area for extended periods and noting manifestations of health issues is probably better. The one I read did the latter, but with all things web, recalling the URL is not my forte, and as always with any web content: ymmv.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
It entirely depends on the study: some are conducted better than others. Simply measuring outgassing and making comments is one method, but forcing animals into the area for extended periods and noting manifestations of health issues is probably better. The one I read did the latter, but with all things web, recalling the URL is not my forte, and as always with any web content: ymmv.
I can concur with this. As a physician and medical researcher, I prefer human studies but exposing humans and recording data in this case is a little unethical.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
the most interesting study recently is NASA's about particles and fumes from 3d printing for use on orbit - the biggest factor is super dry filament emits much less than even "normally" humid filament
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
the most interesting study recently is NASA's about particles and fumes from 3d printing for use on orbit - the biggest factor is super dry filament emits much less than even "normally" humid filament
Do you have a link to the study? I've only found a researcher's comments.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
the most interesting study recently is NASA's about particles and fumes from 3d printing for use on orbit - the biggest factor is super dry filament emits much less than even "normally" humid filament
Imagine the bridging you can get in zero-gravity... 😀
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Since space is very low in humidity, can you dry them by floating them out an airlock?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Yes... though it'd take a while. There was a post on vacuum dehydrating filament recently.
But it requires an oven or heat source in the vacuum to be effective, otherwise it simply takes too long for the moisture to work its way out.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
I've seen only a handful studies so far. Very interesting why there are only few of them. Looks like there is no big business behind it to push it in either direction.
In general it's always advised to work in a well ventilated area. Laser printing, Laser cutting/engraving, Milling, Soldering, Painting ... It does also apply to plastic melting/3D printing.
Regarding dry filament and less VOCs I think it's easy to explain. Water vaporize and helps to distribute more particles into the air.
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Yes... though it'd take a while. There was a post on vacuum dehydrating filament recently.
But it requires an oven or heat source in the vacuum to be effective, otherwise it simply takes too long for the moisture to work its way out.
I don't buy the argument vacuum only works if heated. Seems moisture will wick out regardless of temp - and simple vapor pressure will cause it to be sucked away. And vapor pressure - I think - it what makes a dehydrator work.
Relative Humidity: indicates how moist the air is. Relative humidity is also approximately the ratio of the actual to the saturation vapor pressure. Actual vapor pressure is a measurement of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air and increases as the amount of water vapor increases.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/rh.rxml
I'm headed into an experiment on vacuum dehydrating (materials on the way). I'll take a few grams of filament, exposed to water, one segment into a vacuum pot another equal weight segment into a dehydrator. It won't be especially scientific, I won't be achieving millitorr vacuums, and I doubt I'll be wearing gloves to limit contamination: but I'll be able to report the weight of the two segments before and after a 24 hour dry using both methods.
RE: Danger Will Robinson!
Wikipedia to the rescue:
The pressure maintained in vacuum drying is generally 0.03–0.06 atm and the boiling point of water is 25-30 °C.
Basically, you can dry out solid materials that are heat sensitive simply by pulling sufficient vacuum. Hit 0.03 atm at room temp and you are good to go.
ps: it also explains why I was having a heck of a time getting 24 mm using my Mighty-Vac ... lol. And every time I turn around it's back up to 22.