Will laser printers be banned from nightclubs?

I quit smoking almost three years ago, and quite a few states in the U.S. have enacted smoking bans in various places of business, but now research says even cute little laser printers can kill ‘ya! Check out the News.com article: “Study: Laser printers may pose health risks.”

Here’s a snippet from the article:

Emissions from office laser printers can be as unhealthy as cigarette smoke, according to an Australian professor who is now calling for regulations to limit printer emissions.

The average printer releases toner particles that can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems and cardiovascular trouble…. The team tested 62 laser printer models–all relatively new–and found that 17 of them were “high emitters” of toner particles.

For more information, check out these news sources:

• Laser Printers Linked To Health Risk (InformationWeek)
• Your Printer May Be Hazardous To Your Health (Yahoo! Tech)
• Laser printer particles as dangerous as cigarette smoke? (Engadget)

What will businesses do with all of those laser printers if regulations are swiftly put into place? This has to be a hard hit for the printing industry. Come to think of it, with the recent emphasis on “green,” I don’t think it will be long before patrons are forbidden to bring their laser printers into restaurants, nightclubs, and airports.