The biological and occupational availability of the toxic substances in toners and inks far exceeds many of the established hazardous waste electronic streams such as CRTs and batteries.
There are many different toners and inks, usually with a substantial number of ingredients and proprietary blends, with a small fraction of ingredients not required to be disclosed. Unless manufacturers disclose a full list of ingredients for their toners and inks, it may not be possible to know all potential risks. Below is a list of some very common ingredients that are found in liquid and solid toners and inks.
Liquid Toners and Inks
Ethylene Glycol (usually 3-70% of toners)
– Organic solvents
– Considered “Poisonous (Acute)”
Isopropyl alcohol (usually 1-3% of toners)
–Organic solvent
Flammable liquid
– Poisonous (Acute)
Solid Toners
Carbon Black (prevalent in dust toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
NOTE: Carbon black still appears in many MSDS sheets as being present in toners between 4 and 9 percent of total, and is more common in older toners. Inhalation and eye contact with carbon black is known to be hazardous and is designated in the US as a probable occupational carcinogen Class 2B due to its propensity to cause tumors in rats (no human tests available). Manufacturers claim that, more recently, carbon black is coated with a resin making it less chronically toxic. However, literature should be scanned to determine if there are studies showing the lack of harm from resin-coated carbon black, and it must be remembered that many recyclers/refurbishers are managing materials that are older.
Triphenylmethane dye (found in some toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
Nigrosine dye (found in some toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
Other concerns
Proprietary Information
Many of the listings in an MSDS do not provide adequate data for some of the ingredients that are listed generically. For example, the following commonly listed ingredients are difficult to gauge hazardous characteristics, but could be a risk:
Organic pigment
Boron compound
Metal Complex Dye
pigment
organic pigment
aromatic metal salt
Ultra-Fine Particles
Recent studies from the Queensland University of Technology show high levels of emissions from some printers of ultra-fine particles (UFPs) which are known to pose a health hazard. This study is as yet not conclusive as to whether the high levels of UFPs are as a result of the thermal operations or are simply the toner particles themselves. More study, including chemical analysis of the particles is expected to be done. However, it is worth noting that UFPs are generally thought to be a hazardous characteristic based on particle size and not on toxicity.
Toners and Inks
The biological and occupational availability of the toxic substances in toners and inks far exceeds many of the established hazardous waste electronic streams such as CRTs and batteries.
There are many different toners and inks, usually with a substantial number of ingredients and proprietary blends, with a small fraction of ingredients not required to be disclosed. Unless manufacturers disclose a full list of ingredients for their toners and inks, it may not be possible to know all potential risks. Below is a list of some very common ingredients that are found in liquid and solid toners and inks.
Liquid Toners and Inks
Ethylene Glycol (usually 3-70% of toners)
– Organic solvents
– Considered “Poisonous (Acute)”
Isopropyl alcohol (usually 1-3% of toners)
–Organic solvent
Flammable liquid
– Poisonous (Acute)
Solid Toners
Carbon Black (prevalent in dust toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
NOTE: Carbon black still appears in many MSDS sheets as being present in toners between 4 and 9 percent of total, and is more common in older toners. Inhalation and eye contact with carbon black is known to be hazardous and is designated in the US as a probable occupational carcinogen Class 2B due to its propensity to cause tumors in rats (no human tests available). Manufacturers claim that, more recently, carbon black is coated with a resin making it less chronically toxic. However, literature should be scanned to determine if there are studies showing the lack of harm from resin-coated carbon black, and it must be remembered that many recyclers/refurbishers are managing materials that are older.
Triphenylmethane dye (found in some toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
Nigrosine dye (found in some toners)
– Poisonous (Acute)
– Toxic (Delayed or chronic)
Other concerns
Proprietary Information
Many of the listings in an MSDS do not provide adequate data for some of the ingredients that are listed generically. For example, the following commonly listed ingredients are difficult to gauge hazardous characteristics, but could be a risk:
Organic pigment
Boron compound
Metal Complex Dye
pigment
organic pigment
aromatic metal salt
Ultra-Fine Particles
Recent studies from the Queensland University of Technology show high levels of emissions from some printers of ultra-fine particles (UFPs) which are known to pose a health hazard. This study is as yet not conclusive as to whether the high levels of UFPs are as a result of the thermal operations or are simply the toner particles themselves. More study, including chemical analysis of the particles is expected to be done. However, it is worth noting that UFPs are generally thought to be a hazardous characteristic based on particle size and not on toxicity.