Particle and Vapor Emissions from Vat Polymerization Desktop-Scale 3-Dimensional Printers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baumann EJ ; Bowers LN ; Ham JE ; Johnson AR ; Knepp AK ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Luxton TP ; Martin SB Jr. ; Peloquin DM ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Su F-C ; Virji, M. Abbas ; Wells JR
• Description:
  Little is known about emissions and exposure potential from vat polymerization additive manufacturing, a process that uses light-activated polymerization of a resin to build an object. Five vat polymerization printers (three stereolithography (SLA) and two digital light processing (DLP) were evaluated individually in a 12.85 m3 chamber. Aerosols (number, size) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were measured using real-time monitors. Carbonyl vapors and particulate matter were collected for offline analysis using impingers and filters, respectively. During printing, particle emission yields (#/g printed) ranged from 1.3 +/- 0.3 to 2.8 +/- 2.6 x 10(8) (SLA printers) and from 3.3 +/- 1.5 to 9.2 +/- 3.0 x 10(8) (DLP printers). Yields for number of particles with sizes 5.6 to 560nm (#/g printed) were 0.8 +/- 0.1 to 2.1 +/- 0.9 x 10(10) and from 1.1 +/- 0.3 to 4.0 +/- 1.2 x 10(10) for SLA and DLP printers, respectively. TVOC yield values (microg/g printed) ranged from 161 +/- 47 to 322 +/- 229 (SLA printers) and from 1281 +/- 313 to 1931 +/- 234 (DLP printers). Geometric mean mobility particle sizes were 41.1-45.1 nm for SLA printers and 15.3-28.8 nm for DLP printers. Mean particle and TVOC yields were statistically significantly higher and mean particle sizes were significantly smaller for DLP printers compared with SLA printers (p < 0.05). Energy dispersive X-ray analysis of individual particles qualitatively identified potential occupational carcinogens (chromium, nickel) as well as reactive metals implicated in generation of reactive oxygen species (iron, zinc). Lung deposition modeling indicates that about 15-37% of emitted particles would deposit in the pulmonary region (alveoli). Benzaldehyde (1.0-2.3 ppb) and acetone (0.7-18.0 ppb) were quantified in emissions from four of the printers and 4-oxopentanal (0.07 ppb) was detectable in the emissions from one printer. Vat polymerization printers emitted nanoscale particles that contained potential carcinogens, sensitizers, and reactive metals as well as carbonyl compound vapors. Differences in emissions between SLA and DLP printers indicate that the underlying technology is an important factor when considering exposure reduction strategies such as engineering controls. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Occupational Health Polymers Printing, Three-Dimensional Safety Solvents Volatile Organic Compounds
• Keywords:
  3D Printing Additive Manufacturing Author Keywords: 3-dimensional Printing Digital Light Processing Nanoparticles Polymerization Stereolithography Three Dimensional Printing Ultrafine Particles Vapors Vat Polymerization VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Tennessee ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055890
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2019 Aug; 16(8):519-531
• Contact Point Address:
  A. B. Stefaniak, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505
• Email:
  AStefaniak@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining ; Manufacturing ; Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:98553efc08c5fa40f7bf29670b18f467cfd981691561247bc685f27d9b989c3991af8cf97166e9f88e1e2d768e185471bc1fa284756b4efcc016aff36e3a727a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213645/cdc_213645_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.03 MB ]