Copiers and Air Quality

Not everyone is aware of this, but your office copier could affect the air quality of your office. First things first, it will not be affecting you in a life threatening sort of way. Many people will never even notice that anything has changed. However, if you have people that are susceptible to air quality problems then it’s important to know how your copier could be contributing to that.

Most copiers produce Volatile Organic Compounds. The most common VOC that copiers make is Ozone. While Ozone is good for the atmosphere, it can be harmful to people’s lungs.

VOC’s like Ozone can affect those of us who are most suspetible to air quality issues. These are people that have had lung problems in the past, who deal with asthma, or have had issues with their respiratory system. For these people, VOCs can hurt their lungs, cause inflammation, and make it hurt to breathe.

There are steps you can take to make sure you are doing what you can to ensure good air quality while having an office copier.

• Move your copier to a ventilated area. This will allow the ozone to ventilate out of the office and give your lungs
• Move the copier away from people’s desks. While some people may not care, those who are affected will notice a difference immiedately. You don’t want to have one person breathing in that Ozone day after day.
• Change your filters often. Keep up to date on your filters and make sure you are making changed when you need to.

Doing these three simple things can have a large effect on the quality of your air. The people who are affected will notice a difference and it’s not too much difficulty to make these changes. Remember, it’s not life threatening, but it’s always important to know what is happening with your copier and your air quality.