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Is Your Printer Impacting Your Air Quality?

Original HP Toner

When we think of air pollution, the first thought of many may be of factory chimneys spewing smoke or highways packed with cars. However, contaminants that impact air quality exist not only outside, but inside our homes and workplaces, and can potentially come from inconspicuous sources. One such source could be your printer – more specifically the ink and toner you use. By using the rigorously tested supplies made by HP®, you can help limit exposure to harmful air pollutants.

Why Should Indoor Air Quality Be a Priority?

Think back on your typical week – how much time did you spend inside? Probably a significant amount, especially because of the current global pandemic. You’re not alone either – on average Americans spend about 90% of their time inside where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than concentrations typically are outside. In the last few decades, concentrations of pollutants indoors have increased. This is due to increased use of synthetic building materials, furnishings, personal care products, pesticides, and household cleaners. Exposure to these contaminants can cause short- and long-term health issues – from headaches and sore throats, to more serious illnesses (United States Environmental Protection Agency).

How Can We Improve Indoor Air Quality?

Since we’re spending so much time inside, we need to make sure we’re picking the right products to limit our exposure to harmful chemicals. Why take the risk on imitation toner products that may compromise indoor air quality? For your printing needs, we recommend Original HP ink and toner cartridges. When you choose HP, you’re helping to maintain a healthy indoor environment by preventing exposure to elevated levels of volatile organic compounds that would increase the air pollution in your home or workplace. HP designs, manufactures, and tests their supplies with air quality in mind to make sure their products meet the most stringent emissions standards. These include EPEAT®1, U.S. Permissible Exposure Limits2, WHO Indoor Air Quality Guidelines3, and more. By using Original HP supplies for your printer, you’re helping to protect yourself, those around you, and the environment by limiting harmful emissions.

References

HP Development Company, L.P. “HP Indoor Air Quality”. 2020. PDF File.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Indoor Air Quality”, 2018, (www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality) Accessed August 7, 2020.

1Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT®), managed by the Green Electronics Council of the International Sustainability Development Foundation (ISDF). See epeat.net/about-epeat. For printing systems, the IEEE Standard for Environmental Assessment of Imaging Equipment (IEEE Std 1680.2-2012) is applied. EPEAT registration varies by country. See epeat.net for registration status by country. 2U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), PELs-TWA, 29 CFR 1910.1000 Z-1/Z-2, 2006. 3World Health Organization (WHO), Air Quality Guidelines for Europe, 2nd edition, 2000.