Assessment and Mitigation of Exposure of 3-D Printer Emissions

Boowook Kim; Jae Hoo Shin; Hoi Pin Kim; Mi Seong Jo; Hee Sang Kim; Jong Sung Lee; Hong Ku Lee; Hyuk Cheol Kwon; Sung Gu Han; Noeul Kang; Mary Gulumian; Dhimiter Bello; Il Je Yu

doi:10.3389/ftox.2021.817454

Assessment and Mitigation of Exposure of 3-D Printer Emissions

Front Toxicol. 2022 Feb 18:3:817454. doi: 10.3389/ftox.2021.817454. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Boowook Kim^{1

2}, Jae Hoo Shin², Hoi Pin Kim³, Mi Seong Jo³, Hee Sang Kim³, Jong Sung Lee², Hong Ku Lee³, Hyuk Cheol Kwon⁴, Sung Gu Han⁴, Noeul Kang⁵, Mary Gulumian^{6

7}, Dhimiter Bello⁸, Il Je Yu^{3

9}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
² Institute of Occupation and Environment, Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, Incheon, Korea.
³ Aerosol Toxicology Research Center, HCTm, Incheon, Korea.
⁴ Toxicology Laboratory, Sanghuh College of Life Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
⁵ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
⁶ Haematology and Molecular Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁷ Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
⁸ Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, United States.
⁹ HCT, Co., Incheon, Korea.

Abstract

This study monitored particulates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from 3-D printers using acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) filaments at a workplace to assess exposure before and after introducing exposure mitigation measures. Air samples were collected in the printing room and adjacent corridor, and real-time measurements of ultrafine and fine particle were also conducted. Extensive physicochemical characterizations of 3-D printer emissions were performed, including real-time (size distribution, number concentration) nanoparticle characterization, size-fractionated mass distribution and concentration, as well as chemical composition for metals by ICP-MS and VOCs by GC-FID, real-time VOC monitors, and proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS). Air sampling showed low levels of total suspended particulates (TSP, 9-12.5/m³), minimal levels (1.93-4 ppm) of total volatile organic chemicals (TVOC), and formaldehyde (2.5-21.7 ppb). Various harmful gases, such as formaldehyde, acrolein, acetone, hexane, styrene, toluene, and trimethylamine, were detected at concentrations in the 1-100 ppb by PTR-TOF-MS when air sample was collected into the Tedlar bag from the front of the 3-D printer. Ultrafine particles having an average particle size (30 nm count median diameter and 71 nm mass median diameter) increased during the 3-D printing operation. They decreased to the background level after the 3-D printing operation, while fine particles continually increased after the termination of 3-D printing to the next day morning. The exposure to 3-D printer emissions was greatly reduced after isolating 3-D printers in the enclosed space. Particle number concentration measured by real-time particle counters (DMAS and OPC) were greatly reduced after isolating 3-D printers to the isolated place.

Keywords: 3-D printer; emission; exposure assessment; mitigation; particles; volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).