Solvent Inks and Workplace Safety

While inks are essential to the printing process in any sign business, solvent and eco-solvent inks are toxic to breathe. It is important to minimise your exposure to these inks by filtering the air to remove them from your workplace. Many inks contain known carcinogens and have long term health effects if not used safely. Even low odour eco-solvent inks contain chemicals which are harmful if breathed. If you or your staff are experiencing headaches, lung irritation, nausea, dizziness, or other health symptoms working around your printer or want to create the safest workplace, it is time to do something about it. Call Environ Air on 1300 137 244 to discuss a complete air quality solution to create a safe printing environment.

How are Solvent Vapours and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Released from Prints?

When any inkjet printer is operating, VOCs are released as ink vapourises from print media and aerosols are created during the spraying of ink from the print heads. Approximately 80% of solvent based inks become airborne during printing. Also, prints coming out of a printer are not completely dry and emit solvent vapours until drying is complete. In controlling VOC levels in the printing area it is important to take into account that prints will continue to emit VOCs while drying for up to several days. This will be affected by if a dryer is used on the printer, air temperature, humidity and air circulation in the area. Employing an air filtration system to clean the air in the area will assist in keeping the air clear of solvent fumes during and after printing. Environ Air® systems are designed to operate continuously to provide the safest work environment.

How does an Environ Air Purifier System filter Volatile Organic Compounds from Inks?

Environ Air offers a number of different models of systems for the filtration of solvent inks which can be configured for direct connection to a printer or can be operated freestanding. The polluted air containing airborne ink vapours is forced through various stages of high capacity activated carbon filters which capture greater than 90% of solvents on the first pass through the filter system. As the air is constantly being filtered through the filter system in a print room, air is being purified many times each hour. Environ Air filters are refillable and in most applications filters will last between 3-6 months before requiring refilling.

Fresh air or some form of ventilation should always be provided to dilute concentrations of solvents in the print area in conjunction with an Environ Air® filtration system.

Articles Of Interest:

Clean Air Means Better Business, Image Magazine, Oct, 2008

http://www.environair.com.au/clean_air_means_better_business.pdf

The Truth About Solvent Ink: A Look at the Myths and Realities Surrounding Solvent, Digital Output, Sept, 2004

http://www.digitaloutput.net/content/ContentCT.asp?P=542

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

Further information on the health effects of breathing solvent inks can be obtained by requesting from your printer manufacturer or ink supplier a copy of the material safety data sheets MSDS(s) for the inks you are using. To assist Environ Air has compiled the following links to MSDS(s) of ink manufacturers, please seek advice directly from your ink supplier regarding safe use:

Hewlett Packard®

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/productdata/index.html

Mimaki®:

http://www.mimaki.co.jp/japanese/sup/msds_e_usa/

Mutoh®:

http://www.mutoh.com/supplies/MSDS.html

Océ®:

http://www.dgs.oce.com/PrinterSupport/Ink_MSDS.htm

Roland® Xtreme Inks:

http://www.rolanddga.com/rnet30/files/support/ssd070425_ai.pdf

Roland® Eco-Sol Max Inks:

http://www.rolanddga.com/rnet30/files/support/ssd070425_esl3.pdf

Roland® Cleaning Liquid SL-CL

http://www.rolanddga.com/rnet30/files/support/ssd070425_sl-cl.pdf