Does anyone here have any tips on low cost ways to vent out these residues from 3D printing?
I keep Ender3 V2 in an enclosure and try to keep it as closed as possible when I take out my prints. Doesn’t hurt to be safe.
I treat it the same way I would laser printer toner, at the very least I don’t want it on my desk.
What they’re saying is basically: We have no clue if 3D-printing can cause cancer, but better be careful.
Yeah, I didn’t know that before.
This study looks at how particles released from 3D printers (specifically using ABS and PLA filaments) can damage cells and potentially lead to cancer. They found changes in gene expression linked to cancer development, but they can’t definitively say 3D printing causes cancer yet.
If you read the full study, though, it’s clear that exposure to these particles affects cells in ways that suggest further research is needed to figure out just how dangerous it is, not if it’s dangerous. The study avoids outright claiming that 3D printing causes cancer because it was mainly designed to assess cellular responses to particulate exposure, not long-term cancer outcomes.
They did see cellular changes linked to cancer pathways, but the study’s design didn’t allow them to draw that direct conclusion. A follow-up study focused on these gene expression changes and long-term effects is likely to show a clearer link between 3D printing exposure and cancer development.
That being said, this isn’t the only study. For instance, particles emitted during 3D printing—especially ultrafine nanoparticles—have been shown to cause cellular damage, oxidative stress, DNA breaks, and inflammation, all of which are early indicators for cancer development. In one study, exposure to ABS fumes led to a 49.5% decline in cell viability, pointing to high toxicity levels.
Other research has suggested that people exposed to 3D printer emissions have a cancer risk 3.44 times higher than those exposed to typical urban pollution. To be blunt, it’s pretty well established that the particles emitted from 3D printing processes are biologically active and harmful. I think that most people engaged with the hobby probably know that intuitively, which seems borne out by the tenor of many of the comments here.
It’s dangerous, and it’s likely shortening your lifespan in the long term. You might not care now, but if you get cancer in a decade or two, I imagine future you will feel differently. “Do you” and all that, but I’m amazed by the amount of people 3D printing without air filtration and vent hoods. The fact that some people do this in the open air in their living spaces is mind boggling to me.
I could tell you that it was a surprise for me but it’s not and I also have a resin printer. Have you smelled that? It’s the smell of cancer building up in your brain! But to be fair, so it’s cola, coffe, fastfood, processed food, cars, every material used for building and keeping your house clean and anything diet… so you know… I was already going to have cancer, at least now I got to play with some toys while dying
Edit: Just wanted to add that my BIL was 43 yo, vegan, fit, would work out and swim 7 days a week, would eat salad from his own backyard, lived in a rural “clean” area and meditate and didn’t like technologies… died from cancer at 43. I’m a fat slob that resin prints for 3 years and already outlived him
Please don’t have resin in your room. It’s nasty, and use gloves to touch (I assume you do), you can get chronic dermatitis from uncured resin
oh no I don’t have it in my room, it’s in the garage, but the smell goes all around the house
I have had dermatitis from resin in my arm (accidental) so yeah i’m aware pretty nasty stuff.
Honestly, I love 3d printing, but I still worry about microplastics in the environment.
It’s complicated but PLA is bio-degradable … eventually. Not months but years. That’s much better than the horrors you see on Blue Planet II.
PLA requires industrial high heat composting to breakdown. Otherwise it will be around as long as any other type of plastic.
Is this true also for microplastics? I am aware of the marketing claims and the helpfull oversight of the needed bioreactor but i thought that was in part due tl the larger pieces. Wondering about micro
I’m not sure how much sooner it degrades, but the study still suggests that it causes cellular damage before it’s able to degrade.
I don’t have a 3D printer but if I did I would try to keep it in a basement or garage, or at least keep a window open
