Does or has there been any studies on wether toner from toner cartridges causes cancer?

Answer 1

Toxic Toner Dust Disease


NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Is your work making you sick? It is for one man, who developed lung disease after inhaling toxic dust from an unlikely source -- the photocopier toner used at work, reported researchers from Vienna in a letter published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

The case is strikingly similar to one reported in the same journal two years ago, in which a 44-year-old Spanish woman developed lung disease after inhaling dust at a photocopying shop. That woman was diagnosed with a rare condition called siderosilicosis, inflammation of the lungs caused by iron- and silica-containing dust.

In this case, the 39-year-old male non-smoker went to the doctor because of a dry cough and breathlessness. Medical sleuthing showed that tissue in the man's lungs and lymph nodes contained pigment, silicon and copper particles that were identical to those found in toner dust at his job. The man was employed as a computer-based data collection specialist at a newspaper agency for 18 months.

The patient was diagnosed with granulomatous pneumonitis, allergic lesions of the lung. After nine months of treatment with steroids to calm the immune reaction, there was still little improvement.

Inhaled dust is well-known to cause lung disease, and has been found in miners who breathe in carbon- and silica-containing coal dust, and in field workers who inhale copper-containing solution used for spraying vineyards.

But lung disease from office equipment may be on the rise, according to the letter. "With increasing use of photocopiers, more patients with pulmonary disease due to exposure to toner dust are expected," wrote lead author of the letter, Dr. Christine Armbruster, of the Pulmologisches Zentrum Vienna, in Austria.

Answer 2

Hi Szymas,
IARC;(International Agency for Research on Cancer) has classified toner as a Group 2B carcinogen.
This is because it contains Carbon Black and is in powder form,making it easily able to coat the respiratory surfaces as you breathe.
Studies have shown that Carbon Black can cause cancer in rats,when exposed to it as powder in the air they breathe.
For this reason,even though it is not a high-risk carcinogen,it is advisable to wear dust-masks when exposed to it for prolonged periods.
Hope l didn't sound too technical.Hope I helped you understand,
Cheers,

Answer 3

it dosent cause cancer, but it is bad for you and just about everythign else, so be careful not to spill any if you refill your cartridges. also, if some gets on your clothes, wash it in COLD water, or else it burns in. also, when cleaning up spills, use a wet paper towel, never a vaccuum.