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printers and ozone

Hi - Newbie here.
My question concerns printers, and because it might be of help to someone else, I am hoping to get access to some serious research. I work in an office with industrial hygienists. Today one of them was running off a large print job on a printer right next to my desk. She said "wow, smell that ozone." And then she made the observation that ozone is very bad for the lungs, which I already knew from pulmonary rehab.
Because of where I work, we have access to devices to measure contaminants in ambient air, so we got the equipment necessary to take a measurement of the ozone level. The measurement was 0.25 parts per million. The PEL (permissible exposure limit) in an occupational environment is 0.1 parts per million. So this air quality should be safe for healthy people. But with severe COPD I am not healthy! I am trying to relate that figure to the air quality index measures for ozone, and because it is expressed in different terms, not regular parts per million, I am having trouble figuring out if this printer could be causing decompensation/exacerbations and if I should ask for it to be moved. Could having this printer next to my desk be creating breathing problems for me?
Thanks for any help!

  1. Hi Amity150,

    Thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear you are worried about the air quality at your job. It must be so frustrating to have to worry about that! While I do feel others may be able to specifically touch on the effect of certain levels of contaminants in ambient air, along with PEL and the printer air quality, I felt you would find the following articles helpful - https://copd.net/basics/causes-risk-factors/who-is-at-risk/workplace-pollution/, https://copd.net/basics/causes-risk-factors/, https://copd.net/living-with-copd/pulmonary-rehab/lifestyle/allergens-and-irritants/, https://copd.net/living/workplace-accommodations/, https://copd.net/living/workplace-accommodations-under-the-americans-with-disabilities-act/. They discuss workplace pollution and workplace accommodations. Furthermore, it may be helpful to discuss your concerns with your doctor, as they will be able to provide with a more concise response to your concerns. If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to reach out. We love hearing from you and are happy you are a part of our community. Wishing you a lovely day.

    Best,

    Meaghan (COPD.net Team)

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