• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Worried about printing with Eco-Sol inks?

G

graphix28

New Member
So lately I've been thinking about WTH these inks could do to us long term. I've been reading a lot on the boards about how people are venting their work spaces, and I know a few people who don't vent at all. I work from home in about a 40ft by 20ft space that has a door and a window on the opposite end but don't normally run a fan or anything, and usually keep closed when it's too hot or cold.

Just picked up a Carbon, HEPA, and VOC filtered air purifier and going to run a 6" inline fan from about 4ft above my printer duct to the outside. I have never really had bad headaches or anything from printing.. do you think the fan and air purifier will be enough?? Thanks for your advice!
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Most people wait to buy a printer until they saved up enough money. Looks like you have to wait until you save up enough to buy a bigger room.

Regardless of what kind of printer you have.... other than aqueous printers, they all have certain levels of nasties going into the air. Some are hidden better than others. Key word is solvent.... it's there for a reason. That's the process that manufacturer uses to pass from liquid into a dried medium. If you have this in a small studio, that's one thing. You're only ruining your own brain cells, but if this is in a building where other renters are next door, above or in the same apartment..... you're doing them an unnecessarily mis-doing.

Ours are in a room 30' x 49' with three doors, plenty of window and ventilation as needed.
 
G

graphix28

New Member
So you think 20'x40' is too small, even with an exhaust inline fan? just printing out of my walk in basement for now.
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
I print in a Corporate office in a closed room and had my production shutdown for 2 months this summer because of peoples health concerns. After a tremendous attempt to educate my coworkers and formulating a logical plan to prove my operation was safe , I was able to get ownership to approve a full air quality analysis and I ran my GS6000s (eco-sol) hard during the capture. When the results finally came back we found that there was nothing involved in my print operation to make anyone sick. I still run my duster, but its more for others peoples perception and to drown out my music from the cubical area than anything.

I interviewed with a shop last week that shared a building with other business. The owner explained to me that they had to have the same testing done to assure the other tenants it was safe - They had 2 hooded full solvent Vuteks and a PressVU and his test was fine.
 
G

graphix28

New Member
Wow that's great you got the air quality analysis, so you don't have any ventalation to the outside and it still came back clean? What did they test for?
 
G

graphix28

New Member
How many years have these printers been around? Would be great to hear from some people who have had them from the start..
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
I have one small exhaust vent in the corner of my room that doesn't draw much air out, nothing special. They analyzed the air to see if there was anything unhealthy, I did not get to see the final report but know HR was concerned about OSHA complaints and people going for workers comp. so I trust what they say - especially after talking to the owner of the shop with full solvents.

edit: my room is about 15x35
 
G

graphix28

New Member
I've been doing this for a few years now, don't usually get headaches or notice the odor.. (unless I'm just use to it??)
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
Edna said:
Mine is in a 10x10 room unvented. I open the window a crack when I am smoking.
Click to expand...

Take a look at the Yellow cart. It says right on it that it causes CANCER (in California), then take a look at your cig pack it says the same thing Edna! But smokes cause cancer everywhere, not just California!!!

BTW I can bring breath mints...:loveya:
 
phototec

phototec

New Member
It may take a long time before we will know the true nature of any side effects and health issues related to exposure to eco-solvent inks.

When I was in Vietnam, the military was spraying a cocktail of herbicides and defoliants (agent orange), in many parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, under the operation code name "Ranch Hand". We were told it was safe and would not cause any harm to humans, it took almost 20 years before the truth came out, about how toxic it was and all the side effects and health issues related exposure to Agent Orange.

So, my friends, we may not know the truth about any side effects or health issues related to eco-solvent ink exposure for a long time!

:omg:
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Colo..

I'd be interested in finding out if your test results showed any signs of air pollution or irritants which were within OSHA's limits or if there actually were some problems in the air, but overlooked and given a clearance due to not hitting a high enough number ??

Repeatedly getting bombarded with these minute particles or irritants can cause many problems over time which most tests are not set up to figure into their equations at this point in time. Sure, moderation is the key here. Add this up over weeks, months and years if you never change jobs and we'll see if you have the same conclusion in say... 10 years.

You realize you are literally spraying solvent into the air every time that head moves. Regardless of how much your test came up with, what is it really doing over a longer period of time ?? Also, sometimes once these things are airborne, it becomes worse down the hall where there is no ventilation or filtering system set up.

Anyway, in the end..... these inks definitely give off toxins, but according to your room size and other particulars, you meet the criteria needed at this point to deem that room Okay to work in. If I were you, I'd stop trying to prove something true to be false. The toxins need air in order to dry/cure. These things will leave exhaust in a form unknown to all of us, but you have to be smart enough to know, it IS there.
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
I will see if I can get a copy of the report and post the results. I have previously asked for it but my request has been forgotten.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
No one is justifying the foul odor vs. what you're using, but today, just about everyone is printing with these printers in the living room, bedroom or basement and if you have little ones around or whatever.... think about what it's doing to them.... their small lungs, soft tissue or even pets.

Screening usually isn't done in one's house. Maybe their garage or an out building, where you can control who comes in contact with the fumes. Even spraying lacquer can mess ya up real bad. These are toxins you can smell and know they are there, where the others are still in the air, but have been covered up so they can sell these little units to people in apartments and whatnot.
 
ProWraps

ProWraps

New Member
16'x35' print room here with an Island Clean Air scrubber big enough to scrub two of my rooms.

i aint taking any chances.
 
P

psbc2009

New Member
We are running a 1604 and 1614 in a fairly large room. I have noticed nasty headaches and other symptoms while printing with heavy coverage and exposed to it over several hours. BOTH printers are being moved to their own room in the back of our facility and will be vented. Test or no test it makes me sick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top