- Campus
- 12/11/2024
Cursor investigates | Is the air in the reproshop unhealthy?
If you pass by the repro room in MetaForum, you will see large fans set up in the two doorways. Inside are four copiers and two plotters ready for intensive use. That raises the question of whether the air quality in the reproshop is actually safe.
TU/e’s repro room has a special location. You can imagine that the architects of MetaForum tried to hide an unaesthetic gray column that serves as a technical space by surrounding it with walls to accommodate the copiers and cutting and binding machines. MetaForum was put into use in the summer of 2012, and MF 1.597 has been the designated repro room from the very beginning.
Foul air?
Concerns about the air quality in the room are not new. Back in 2015, a report was drawn up titled ‘Exposure risk high print volume repro MF’, informs safety expert Anke Janssen. She is the team leader of Occupational Health, Safety, Environment & Radiation Protection (OHSE&R) which falls under the Human Resource Management service. “As a general rule, printers should be located in adequately ventilated spaces. Having a permanent workstation in an area with a lot of copiers is not recommended,” she says.
Nine years ago, the Internal Affairs Service asked OHSE&R (known as AMVS at the time) for advice on the student repro room in the MetaForum building. Their question was as follows: ‘Are students possibly being exposed to overly high concentrations of harmful substances and/or heat in the repro room, given the lack of source extraction at the printers?’
Measurements
The room is mechanically ventilated. The AMVS carried out climate measurements next to the student assistant’s workstation. 'Based on the results of the measurements, it can be concluded that the temperature and CO2 levels were in order,' we read.
It also states that in 2015, an average of around 200,000 prints were made per month. Toner needed to be replaced after approximately 10,000 prints at the time. ‘This means that the toner was replaced about 19 to 20 times a month in the repro room.’ Students were warned to be careful when replacing the toner. This should be done outdoors, while wearing gloves to avoid skin contact, and in case of a spill, hands should be washed with cold water. Warm water opens skin pores, which can leave toner trapped inside it.
New situation
Fortunately, those days are over. Newer and cleaner machines are now in use. “We have Canon printers for which we requested specifications on emissions,” says Don Meuwissen. He is an LIS employee and coordinator of the reproshop. “The emissions are within the set limits.” He regularly chats with the student assistant on duty and asks how they are doing, if they have a headache. I haven’t heard any complaints so far.”
Quinn van Rooy is one of the student assistants. Like his colleagues, he works two four-hour shifts a week. He thinks the working conditions are perfectly fine. “I’ve never had issues with the air quality.” He does occasionally have to replace cartridges, but certainly not on a daily basis. “I’d guess that the colorant for the two poster plotters is changed once every two weeks by one of the students who all work here part-time. And the machines are brand-new. The colors are contained in wax-coated pellets. (see photo) We also need to warm them up before use. But it’s impossible to spill the toner.”
He believes the cartridges in the four A4 printers last for months before they need to be replaced. But that doesn’t require gloves, nor does he have to go outside. (see photo)
Green
Three planters were recently placed in the room. “The reason is because plants purify air, but it’s also good for general well-being,” says Meuwissen. “Plants create a more pleasant atmosphere.” He points to the CO2 monitor on the student assistant’s desk. The light is green. “This also shows that the CO2 levels are in order at this moment.”
By the way, the number of prints these days is significantly lower than what is stated in the 2015 report. Based on cash register data, Van Rooy shows that 237,722 sheets were printed last year. That equates to twenty thousand per month. He doesn’t know why, and it’s beside the point, but still an interesting fact: people print more in the summer than in the winter.
Long story short, we can confidently say: In 2024, the air in the reproshop is not unhealthy.
Cursor is eager to investigate topics that interest you. What would you like us to look into? Send an email to cursor@tue.nl, and we’ll see what we can do.
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