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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s time to take a cold, hard look at an important question that\u2019s bouncing around the Internet. Is your 3D printer going to kill you with toxic emissions?<\/p>\n
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Scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology\u00a0just published the first comprehensive study of fume emissions caused by 3D printing<\/a>. We sorted through the findings of the report so you don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n There have been a few studies on the health effects of 3D printing, but the results varied so much that it was hard to draw conclusions. With this recent paper, the French and U.S. scientists approached the topic systematically, testing five brands of printers and nine types of filaments.<\/p>\n Frankly, we\u2019re kind of surprised this conversation is so late in coming \u2014 especially because so many of the exciting possibilities for 3D printing have to do with\u00a0schools\u00a0and hospitals. We\u2019re hoping all those 3D printed\u00a0hearts\u00a0and\u00a0sternums\u00a0were printed safely so this ground-breaking work can continue!<\/p>\n The study is specifically concerned with the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) category of 3D printing, where thermoplastic material in the form of filament spools are melted down and extruded through a nozzle to build up a model, layer upon layer. It does not cover Stereo-lithographic (SLA) 3D printing.<\/p>\n Two variables were tracked \u2014 ultrafine particles (UFPs) and hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs).<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s talk about hazardous volatile compounds \u2014 these are airborne chemicals produced by the melting of filaments in order to feed them through the nozzle. The most surprising results of the study have to do with the two most popular filaments: PLA and ABS.<\/p>\n People usually refer to ABS by the acronym, so you might not know what it stands for: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Why is that important? Styrene is one of those hazardous volatile compounds \u2014 it\u2019s toxic and maybe cancer-causing. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States doesn\u2019t have protections against it, the Department of Heath and Human Services calls styrene \u201creasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Fortunately, PLA (polylactic acid) breaks down into lactic acid \u2014 the same chemical that makes you sore after working out \u2014 so there\u2019s no threat there.<\/p>\n While\u00a0styrene seems to be the main problem, other filaments give off other hazardous compounds: like caprolactam, which is offgasses from nylon and PCTPE, as well as exotic filaments like Laybrick and Laywood (they really tested everything).<\/p>\n Caprolactam is classified as non-carcinogenic, but the threshold for \u201cacute exposure\u201d is pretty low: 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The problem isn\u2019t just the long-term health risks, it\u00a0can also cause headaches, respiratory and eye problems.<\/p>\n The study shows that running a 3D printer for 45 minutes, assuming a standard 45 cubic meter office space ventilated at the standard rate, does raise hazardous volatile compound levels way above the averages tested by the EPA.<\/p>\n The caprolactam amounts 244 micrograms per cubic meter) far exceed the EPA\u2019s suggested limit of 50. Styrene, to take another example,\u00a0would saturate the space at 150 micrograms\/cubic meter: infants show respiratory distress at 2 micrograms per cubic meter. In other words, don\u2019t 3D print around your baby!<\/p>\n Lots of articles are reporting that the type of printer doesn\u2019t matter, but it actually does seem to make a difference according to the study\u2019s data.\u00a0Printing with ABS filament on a MakerBot Replicator \u2014 even with the enclosure on \u2014 emits about 150 micrograms per minute, whereas the XYZ da Vinci gives off about 25.<\/p>\n Not that you need to run out and get a new printer. This is the first comprehensive study, and as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We\u2019ll get to that next.<\/p>\n The second health risk the study measured is ultrafine particles. Obviously, it\u2019s not great for your lungs to breathe in particulate matter. And 3D printers do give off these particles. But, when you break it down, the emissions aren\u2019t any more\u00a0than\u00a0driving in a car or using a hairdryer<\/a>.<\/p>\n But still, let\u2019s be smart about this. One of the tests the scientists ran was to print off a MakerBot with the enclosure attached and intentionally removed \u2014 it didn\u2019t make a huge difference (a 35 percent reduction) but it\u2019s worth paying attention to the operating instructions to be as safe as possible.<\/p>\n Here, too, ABS is an exponentially more dangerous choice (with UFPs around 1011\u00a0<\/sup>rather than 108)<\/sup><\/p>\n Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. If you\u2019re printing with ABS, use a filtration system of some kind. There are plenty of DIY options and more commercial ones in the development pipeline.<\/p>\n Bottom line: be sure to ventilate your space \u2014 the experimental models the researchers used assumed standard office ventilation, which is clearly not adequate to maintain healthy, average air-levels. In their words:<\/p>\n \u201cUntil then, we continue to suggest that caution should be used when operating many printer and filament combinations in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces or without the aid of gas and particle filtration systems. This is particularly true for both styrene- and nylon-based filaments, based on data from the relatively large sample of printers and filament combinations evaluated here.\u201d<\/p>\n The research team is even working on a modeling software so that end-users can easily predict VOC and UFP levels based on the machine, filament, and volume of their print so that both users and researchers can come up with ways to reduce exposure, like better HVAC systems, spot ventilation, or building newer, better enclosures.\u00a0The research team also has some suggestions for manufacturers, too:<\/p>\n \u201cManufacturers should work toward designing low-emitting filament materials and\/or printing technologies. Third, in the absence of new low-emitting filaments, manufacturers should work to evaluate the effectiveness of sealed enclosures on both UFP and VOC emissions or to introduce combined gas and particle filtration systems.\u201d<\/p>\n And some makers have already taken up this charge, working to share information about less hazardous filaments.\u00a0Clean Strands<\/a>, for example, offers a virtual marketplace for algae, starch, and wood-based filaments.\u00a0They sat down to talk with one of the lead researchers on the study<\/a>\u00a0about how to move forward. Dr. Brent Stephens comments,<\/p>\n \u201cI would hope that we can stop researching 3D printer emissions and get on with using them safely in all kinds of environments. My sincere hope is that if any community can figure out how to reduce or control emissions from these devices, it is the vast, vibrant maker community!\u201d<\/p>\n Amen, Dr. Stephens. We\u2019ll print to that!<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to take a cold, hard look at an important question that\u2019s bouncing around the Internet. Is your 3D printer going to kill you with toxic emissions? Scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology\u00a0just published the first comprehensive study of fume emissions caused by 3D printing. We sorted through the findings of the report so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"kbtopic":[122],"kbtag":[126,661,61,660],"class_list":["post-164081","kb","type-kb","status-publish","hentry","kbtopic-mtl","kbtag-3d-printing","kbtag-health","kbtag-material","kbtag-toxic"],"yoast_head":"\nTo the Results!<\/h3>\n
Yeah\u2026 Toxic Emissions are Worse than We Thought<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n3, 6, 9, Damn You\u2019re\u2026Ultrafine. Particles<\/h3>\n
So Where Does This Leave Us?<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2022\/02\/28bb332732b5de99.png\")
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