Mise au point sur les risques toxiques lors de l'utilisation professionnelle des photocopieurs

In our days, photocopiers are essential devices in professional businesses. More and more employees complain of occupational medicine symptoms that they attribute to their exposure to the copier. Our aim is therefore to better characterize and analyze the risks associated with this exposure. The operation to copy a document is based on electrophotography, which consists of an electrostatic transfer of the toner powder to an electrically charged photoconductive surface. During printing, toner dust, volatile organic compounds and gases such as ozone, and ultrafine particles are emitted. The emissions are diverse and vary according to the type and mode of operation of the photocopier. The precise exposure levels are unknown but seemed to be below the exposure limit values. Animal studies have demonstrated that respiratory illnesses develop only for significant levels of exposure. To the best of our knowledge, no study demonstrated a clear relationship between exposure to photocopiers and chronic respiratory diseases or cancer. Finally, there is currently no specific regulation and recommendation on the use of photocopiers.