“When you melt plastic at relatively high temperatures, two things happen: You release gases, and you release particles,” says Brent, an Illinois Institute of Technology professor of engineering and an expert on indoor air quality. Stevens said. He is the person who helped write part of the report.
Some school districts and parents in metro Atlanta are aware there may be risks, but not necessarily the amount of research or the level of concern experts are raising.
Chemist Marilyn Black, co-author of many research papers on the subject, says being near cheap, high-emission machines can expose you to pollution levels that exceed national outdoor air quality standards. Stated.
“It's basically the same thing as sitting on the side of a highway with diesel trucks going by,” she says.
Mr. Black heads the Marietta-based nonprofit research division of Underwriters Laboratories, a for-profit safety standards company. UL founded the Chemical Insights Research Institute about a decade ago, when 3D printing was becoming more commonplace. Around that time, some school districts started raising questions about the odor coming from his 3D printers and the possible impact on students with asthma. So they looked into it.
She said her team has identified about 500 chemicals. She said: “Some levels may not be high enough to cause an immediate reaction, but when you get what's called chronic long-term exposure, it builds up and that's what you want to prevent.,” Black said. Her organization has created a guide to help schools reduce exposure to her 3D printer emissions.
Last year, UL also collaborated with the Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association to deliver UL 200B, a guidance document for the safe use of 3D printers in higher education settings. However, there is no such adjustment at the K-12 level.
Credit: Steve Schaefer/
Credit: Steve Schaefer/
Both the Georgia Department of Education and the state Department of Public Health told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have not issued guidance regarding 3D printers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some advice, including purchasing a printer with a built-in filtration system that can remove both small particles and gases.
A week after the AJC inquired, several school districts in metro Atlanta were not counting the number of devices on their campuses. But the Cherokee County School District tallied 80 of those schools and noted that recent practice is to purchase only sealed units to contain contaminants. Teachers must follow the manufacturer's safety guidelines.
Gwinnett County, the state's largest school system, has 76 Stratasys 3D printers, which are high-end products that include HEPA filtration systems to control emissions. (Black's group is currently studying how well such filtration systems work.) The district said in a statement that the filtration systems are installed in large, well-ventilated areas.
“That being said, GCPS recently became aware of new research evaluating 3D printer emissions and the potential risks they pose,” the district added. “Like our peers in the education and business communities, GCPS is monitoring these studies and awaiting possible new guidance from state and federal regulators.”
Fulton County school officials said in a statement that most printers are equipped with air filters. Middle school and high school labs are “closed off” from other classrooms to reduce potential emissions.
there will be more of them It's more expensive than 3D printers that can be found for less than $200. Black said he saw an unsealed printer operating in her second-grade classroom in metro Atlanta, and another in a janitor's closet at the middle school. .
Jeffrey Siegel, a civil engineering professor at the University of Toronto, said schools will need to isolate 3D printers in enclosures and vent exhaust gases through hoses running through the walls. Or at least it should be done in an empty room with the windows open. Experts also say nearby surfaces should be wiped clean of dust, which can contain heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.
“There's just so much literature out there on these printers right now,” said Siegel, the indoor air quality expert. “There are certainly emissions that are a concern and we have to address them.”
Christina Hodgen, a parent of two young children in Atlanta public schools, is married to a computer programmer with a background in electrical engineering. He bought a high-end build-it-yourself 3D printer kit and operated it in his drafty basement. Hodgen thought she had researched all aspects of health, but after the AJC shared some of the research by Black and her colleagues, she realized her husband was considering installing a ventilation system. she said.
She's also concerned about the 3D printer at her son's middle school. She said the 3D printer is operating near the school's library without ventilation. She wants students to have access to the devices, but plans to inquire about safety protocols.
“People need to know, and it's becoming more and more widespread,” she says. “I think we were probably the first in this neighborhood to have it. Since then, I've heard more and more kids asking for it for Christmas.”
