Citation:

Yi, J., M. Duling, L. Bowers, A. Knepp, R. LeBouf, T. Nurkiewicz, A. Ranpara, T. Luxton, S. Martin Jr, D. Burns, D. Peloquin, E. Baumann, M. Virji, AND A. Stefaniak. Particle and organic vapor emissions from children’s 3-D pen and 3-D printer toys. INHALATION TOXICOLOGY. Taylor & Francis, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 31(13-14):432-445, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/08958378.2019.1705441

Impact/Purpose:

Growth of the 3D printing industry is expected to facilitate an expanding number of printers entering the industrial and consumer markets. 3D printers designed for use as Toys is one specific consumer product line that has experienced rapid growth in the past 5 years. The emerging technology allows children to design and build 3D objects using either a printer or hand-held pen. Polymers used for traditional injection molding practices, in occupational settings, form the basis for the feedstock materials used for 3D printing. The use of these polymers (e.g. PLA, ABS, PEG, PC) in 3D printing creates a significant new use under TSCA regulations. Currently, these polymers have not been characterized with respect to generation of VOCS, and incidental nanoparticles at temperatures required for 3D printing. The chemical composition of printed products are also expected to be altered from the feedstock. The generation of incidental nanoparticles from 3D printing is an emerging nano-enabled consumer product exposure issue and related to TSCA regulations. Research has shown that 3D printing produces ultra-fine or incidental nanoparticles at harmful concentrations for sensitive populations, and that emission chemistry and particle concentration are polymer and additive dependent.

Description:

Objective: Fused filament fabrication “3-dimensional (3-D)” printing has expanded beyond the workplace to 3-D printers and pens for use by children as toys to create objects. Materials and methods: Emissions from two brands of toy 3-D pens and one brand of toy 3-D printer were characterized in a 0.6 m3 chamber (particle number, size, elemental composition; concentrations of individual and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC)). The effects of print parameters on these emission metrics were evaluated using mixed-effects models. Emissions data were used to model particle lung deposition and TVOC exposure potential. Results: Geometric mean particle yields (106–1010 particles/g printed) and sizes (30–300 nm) and TVOC yields (

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