How much ink print hazards

With the rapid development of printing industry, the harm of ink to human health becomes more and more obvious. Looking at newspapers with low printing quality, using easy-to-flush bags, wrapping things with old newspapers, and eating food while reading newspapers and newspapers, these little things that often happen around you can all make people become victims of ink pollution.

Pollutants in prints

Ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, butanol, propanol, butanone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, toluene, xylene and other organic solvents are often used in printing inks. Although most of these organic solvents will be eliminated after drying, the residual parts will still cause harm to the human body. In particular, printed materials with larger ink areas and thicker ink layers have more residual solvents, and toxic substances released during the use process pollute the air and endanger people's health.

A major problem with ink contamination is pigments. These pigment particles are very fine and have a strong adsorption capacity. They contain heavy metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium, and mercury, all of which have certain toxicity. Taking lead as an example, a page of colored newspapers contains about 2000 micrograms of lead, and lead is the only trace element that the body does not need. It is stable, non-degradable and prevents the formation of blood cells. When the accumulation of lead in the body reaches a certain level, there will be chronic poisoning symptoms such as mental disorders, nightmares, insomnia, and headaches, and severe cases of fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Lead can also enter the brain tissue through blood, causing brain damage. According to research, children's absorption of lead is several times higher than that of adults. Lead poison has a greater impact on children’s intelligence.

In addition, a large amount of benzene-containing diluent is used for printing, which is toxic, has a pungent odor, and easily pollutes the air during use. Long-term inhalation can affect the central nervous system of the brain and cause great harm to human health.

How to prevent ink contamination

To prevent ink contamination, first of all, you must make good use of your own, and always pay attention to the following matters: When choosing books and newspapers, print quality is poor, and the pungent ink taste should not be purchased. In particular, some pirated books use inferior ink, when you look at it. Harmful substances are inhaled into the body, which is very unfavorable for health. Keep good posture when reading and reading newspapers. Don't leave the face too close to the newspapers. Also, do not eat while reading the newspapers. It is easy to contaminate the ink. Eat things in; Wash hands immediately after reading newspapers to avoid contaminating food and other items with ink from your hands; Do not use newspapers to wrap items, especially food, and do not use newspapers to put food in place. Some text and patterns on plastic bags It is easy to fade, and often sticks to your hands or other items. This bag should be discarded immediately, and should not be used repeatedly. Special attention should be paid to the fact that many children often hold bagged snacks in their hands and are vulnerable to lead in the ink. The hazards, parents should try to reduce children's exposure to ink.

The use of environmentally friendly ink is fundamental

However, to prevent ink pollution from the source, we should also strengthen the management of the printing industry. In order to fundamentally improve the impact on the environment, we should start with changing the composition of the ink, that is, using environmentally friendly materials as far as possible to formulate a new type of environmentally friendly ink.

Researchers in various countries are stepping up research and development in this area. At present, there are three main categories of environmental protection inks: water-based inks, UV inks, and water-based UV inks. The biggest difference between water-based inks and solvent-based inks is that the solvents used in water-based inks are water, not organic solvents, and have no pollution to the environment and no adverse effects on human health.

According to relevant information, solvent-based inks containing benzene have been banned in the United States and some European countries. Instead, green inks have been replaced. At present, 40% of U.S. plastic printing uses water-based inks.

Other developed countries, such as Japan, Germany, France, etc., are also increasingly using water-based inks in plastic film printing. The United Kingdom also enacted legislation in June 2003 prohibiting the use of solvent-based inks to print films for food packaging. â—Ž

Reprinted from: Star Online