Office Equipment: Design, Indoor Air Emissions, and Pollution Prevention Opportunities

Abstract

The full report summarizes available information on office equipment design; indoor air emissions of organics, ozone, and particulates from office equipment; and pollution prevention approaches for reducing these emissions. Since much of the existing emissions data from office equipment are proprietary and not available in the general literature, they are not included in the report. The report covers (1) dry and wet process photoimaging machines (copiers, printers, and faxes); (2) spirit duplicators; (3) mimeograph machines; (4) digital duplicators; (5) diazo (blueprint) machines; (6) computers and computer terminals; (7) impact matrix printers; and (8) other equipment types. Office equipment emits indoor air pollutants as a result of equipment operation, offgassing from components, or episodic releases related to catastrophic failure of a unit. For equipment that does not use supplies (e.g., video display terminals) emissions are primarily from offgassing of residual organics. Increased levels of ozone, total volatile organic compounds, and particulates have been observed in the presence of operating equipment and have been associated with complaints by exposed workers. Published emission rates, IAQ impacts, and potential pollution prevention solutions associated with the equipment types are discussed in the full report. This Project Summary was developed by EPA’s Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully Office Equipment: Design, Indoor Air Emissions, and Pollution Prevention Opportunities