Printing environment

Most microarray printers are now housed in boxes set up to control humidity and many are provided with high efficiency particulate air (HEFA) filtration to remove particulates. However, a word of caution attempting to nm a HEFA filter along with a humidifier may be counter-productive if the humid air is exhausted by the HEFA system. Check the design of the environmental chamber to verify whether both devices can be used during a print nm. 

Substrates should be kept clean, preferably sealed and opened just prior to use. Gloves should be worn to prevented xmwanted fingerprints and other forms of contamination from hands. If possible, the printing operation 

Finally, pins should be cleaned and inspected to ensure they are free of any obstructions of fhe bps prior to use. Manufacturers have specific recommendations on best methods of cleaning their pins. Some vendors such as TeleChem International (www.arrayit.com) offer cleaning solutions and equipment (sonic baths, holders, etc.) for their pins and print heads. In our laboratory, we routinely inspect pins under a microscope before and after cleaning and keep photographic images as records. 

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Wm. E. Rusterholz, Focus on Inks, High Volume Printing, Environment 2000, Apr. 1990. 

Environmental Print and other graphic symbols, other than books, found in the physical print environment, such as street signs, billboards, and so on. 

This information was derived from a compilation of pending state legislation at http //www. ncsl.org/print/environ/radonlegis07.pdf. 

Some good practices to follow in a printing environment are ... 

Inks for continuous ink-jet printers typically comprise dyes dissolved in water or solvent having salts added to make the ink conductive for electrostatic charging. Whenever waterproof printing is required, low boiling solvent inks ate used. For printers that ate used in office environments, water is used as the ink solvent. Using water-based inks, humectants may be added to inhibit drying of ink in the sump and surfactants ate added to wet the printing surface. 

Sewer Disposal. Photoprocessing and printing wastes tend to be aqueous solutions that ate combined with other plant effluents and sent to the local sewer plant for treatment. The parameters of concern include silver, pH, and biological oxygen demand (BOD). BOD is a measure of how well a waste material degrades in the environment. Lower values ate preferred. Silver-bearing waste streams ate typically treated on-site, and the treated effluent is released to the drain. The printer usually receives a small cash credit for silver recovered. 

Jones, O.E. and Graham, R.A., Shear Strength Effects on Phase Transition Pressures Determined from Shock Compression Experiments, in Accurate Characterization of the High Pressure Environment (edited by Lloyd, E.C., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 326, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1971, pp. 229-242. 

Code of Federal Regulations, Protection of Environment Title 40, Subchapter I, Fart. 240-272. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1992. 

Pagnotto, L. D., and Keenan, R. G., Sampling and analysis of gases and vapors, m "The Industrial Environment—Its Evaluation and Control," pp. I67-I79. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1973. 

Occupational and environmental exposure to chemicals can take place both indoors and outdoors. Occupational exposure is caused by the chemicals that are used and produced indoors in industrial plants, whereas nonoccupa-tional (and occupational nonindustrial) indoor exposure is mainly caused by products. Toluene in printing plants and styrene in the reinforced plastic industry are typical examples of the two types of industrial occupational exposures. Products containing styrene polymers may release the styrene monomer into indoor air in the nonindustrial environment for a long time. Formaldehyde is another typical indoor pollutant. The source of formaldehyde is the resins used in the production process. During accidents, occupational and environmental exposures may occur simultaneously. Years ago, dioxin was formed as a byproduct of production of phenoxy acid herbicides. An explosion in a factory in... 

Malker, H. S. R. and Gemne, G. (1987). A register-epidemiology study on cancer among Swedish printing industry workers. Arch. Environ. Health 42, 73-82. 

Matheson, D.H. Elder, F.C., Eds. Atmospheric Contribution to the Chemistry of Lake Waters, J. Great Lakes Res., Suppliment 2, pp 225. National Academy of Science, Air Quality and Stationary Source Emission Control, Comm, on Nat. Resources, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, U.S. Gov t Print. Office, Washington, DC, 1975. Whelpdale, D.M. (Chair) Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants A Summary Report of the Ad Hoc Committee, Atmospheric Environment Service, Environment Canada, Downsview, Ontario, 1976. 

Flame retardants in printed circuit boards partnership. Circuit boards are commonly used in electronics in consumer and industrial products, including computers and cell phones. In order to ensure fire safety, manufacturers commonly produce circuit boards with flame-retardant chemicals. While serving an important performance function, some flame-retardant chemicals can be harmful if released into the environment. To better understand the issues and the full range of options for flame-retarding circuit boards, DfE is engaging with the electronics industry and other stakeholders in a partnership. 

USEPA] US Enviromnental Protection Agency. 1997. Mercury Study Report to Congress. Fate and Transport of Mercury in the Environment, Vol. 111. EPA-452/R-97-005, US Enviromnental Protection Agency, US Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 

Larsen FIF, Hansen MS, Hauschild M (2006) Ecolabelling of printed matter. Part II life cycle assessment of model sheet fed offset printed matter. Working Report No. 24. Danish Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Copenhagen... 

Larsen HF, Tprslpv J, Damborg A (1995) Areas of intervention for cleaner technology in the printing industry - assessment of waste water (report in Danish). Environmental Project No. 284. Danish Ministry of Environment. Environmental Protection Agency, Copenhagen... 

Inkjet printing In between robotic printing and photolithography In between robotic printing and photolithography 5-75-mers Equipments need strict maintenance and experiment must be performed in a clean and uncontaminated environment... 

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