# Is printer ink toxic to toddlers?



## twinergy (Mar 30, 2008)

I was thinking of printing a photo album for my kiddos and am wondering if printer ink is bad for them. They are almost 2 now but still teething and chewing on lots of things, especially paper. Thank you.


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## Meems (Jan 8, 2007)

I'm thinking that printer ink would be dangerous to ingest.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

Printer ink is dangerous to anyone, not just toddlers. I would refrain from printing out anything for them until they are past this stage unless you have an effective method of laminating the photos printed.


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## chick (Sep 12, 2007)

one of Millie's favourite things when she was about 10 months were some large laminated sheets with several photos on each one. You could laminate individual photos then tie them together like a book or put photos in an actual album with coverings over the snaps.


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## twinergy (Mar 30, 2008)

Thank you for the ideas, I think I will be laminating.


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## Geminikidz (May 10, 2011)

There's nothing extremely alarming about the chemicals printer ink contains. Take the PGI-220 for example, a very common cartridge used in the home. It contains 5-10% Glycerine, same as the food additive, 5-10% Glycol, The MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) doesn't specify whether it's the non-toxic propylene sort, or the mildly toxic ethylene variety, Lactam 5-10% witch is a solvent and also shows up in antibiotics, and finally water (H2O). Some of these chemicals could be potentially harmful if some one was drinking directly from the cartridge but the amount that is printed on a piece of paper is is not really dangerous although inhaling, swallowing or getting it in your eyes can cause a long list of unpleasant -- but non-lethal -- symptoms. In fact the European Union doesn't classify this ink as dangerous. The law requires that ink manufacturers post Material Data Safety Sheets on each product that they sell, and you can find them online. If you want to find the MSDS for your cartridge here are some links to some major manufacturer's MSDS reports:

Brother - http://www.brother-usa.com/msds/

Cannon - http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon?pageKeyCode=50

Epson - http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/Supportmsdsmain.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes

HP - http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/products/msds-specs.html

Lexmark - http://www1.lexmark.com/en_US/about-us/environmental-sustainability/material-safety-data-sheets/index.shtml

Okidata - http://www.okidata.com/mkt/html/nf/MSDS.html

Panasonic (Select Material Data Sheet) - http://panasonic.com/business/office/support-downloads.asp

Xerox - http://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/environment/search/enus.html

Check out InkFarm.com for cheap non-lethal Original and Re-manufactured printer ink and toner's. That's the only trustworthy site I can find cheap printer ink at.


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## Geminikidz (May 10, 2011)

Is printer ink toxic?


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