Is 3D Printing bad for your health?

[AbracadabraMan]

I hadn't heard anything about this until a friend of mine pointed out an article to me.

Apparently there are some major health concerns for people that use 3D Printers.

UFPs are particularly relevant from a health perspective because they deposit efficiently in both the pulmonary and alveolar regions of the lung, as well as in head airways. Deposition in head airways can also lead to translocation to the brain via the olfactory nerve. The high surface areas associated with UFPs also lead to high concentrations of other adsorbed or condensed compounds. Several recent epidemiological studies have shown that elevated UFP number concentrations are associated with adverse health effects, including total and cardio-respiratory mortality, hospital admissions for stroke, and asthma symptoms.

Also ABS printers are a lot worse than PLA printers.

Do you guys think there is really a big concern, or is it just people that are trying to find the negatives of 3D Printing?

The article also mentions that cooking, and burning candles create some of these same toxins.

[Larry]

People are just trying to blow up the negatives of 3D Printing. You can find negative health implications to almost anything. Cell Phones cause brain cancer, etc. If you live in a major city like NYC or LA, I can guarantee you that the air you breath every day from exhausts are 10 times worse than the fumes coming from your 3d printers. If you are working 15 hours a day with your head directly over a 3d printer, after a couple decades, sure you may face health implications. If you have a 3D Printer in your garage and you set up a job, spend an hour a day around it printing, then no, don't worry about it.

That's my take at least.

[Mike]

All indications are that the worst case scenario is similar to grilling a burger or two in your backyard. The tests done so far aren't even particularly scientific, because ambient UFP levels weren't checked over time prior to testing. Meaning, car exhaust from a nearby parking lot (or any other source) could be altering the results. I'll be interested to see more thorough testing done, but I'm not particularly worried about it.

[jimc]

x2 larry. i work with chemicals and deal with fumes every day and have for 20 years. what comes off a 3d printer printing abs is so small there is really no reason to worry. i can print abs in my house all day and you cant even smell it at all.

People are just trying to blow up the negatives of 3D Printing. You can find negative health implications to almost anything. Cell Phones cause brain cancer, etc. If you live in a major city like NYC or LA, I can guarantee you that the air you breath every day from exhausts are 10 times worse than the fumes coming from your 3d printers. If you are working 15 hours a day with your head directly over a 3d printer, after a couple decades, sure you may face health implications. If you have a 3D Printer in your garage and you set up a job, spend an hour a day around it printing, then no, don't worry about it.

That's my take at least.

[cameron20020]

You should be fine, as long as you don't print in a closed off room, with no fresh air circulation whatsoever.
Also, if you're going to print something that you'll be using with food/drinks, it would be in your best interests to get FDA approved filament.

Some cheap filaments have been found to contain trace amounts of heavy metals, which will be no problem under normal circumstances, but there does exist the potential for things to leech into food/drink if brought into contact.