Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology collected particles emitted from 3D printers and conducted several tests to gauge their impact on respiratory cell cultures.
“All of these tests, which were done at high doses, showed that there is a toxic response to the particles from various types of filaments used by these 3D printers,” said Professor Rodney Weber, who led the research.
The researchers looked closely at the chemical composition of the particles and their potential for toxicity.
3D printers often function by melting plastic filaments and then depositing the solution layer upon layer to form a custom object. Heating the plastic releases volatile compounds, some of which form ultrafine particles emitted into the air near the printer and the object.
Previous research demonstrated that the hotter the temperature required to melt the filament, the more emissions were produced. As a result, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic...