3DPrinting

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.

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.

Uneven airflow results in bad prints. Better to set up a ventilator hood that exhausts outside.

Mine live outside in the garage , I built a Corsi-Rosenthal box (box fan with a bunch of filters on it) that stays on out there, and both of mine are in fairly decently sealed enclosures with HEPA+Carbon recirc filters.

Don't go in there when printing unless absolutely necessary, and even then, minimise exposure.

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

Print with the same setup you'd use with resin printing: It's an enclosed tent that has filters and venting you can direct outside.

I've seen cheap ikea end tables modded for enclosures. Particle board is used to seal up three sides (between each of the legs), and an acrylic panel attached with some cheap hinges goes in the last one to make a door. A hole is cut in one of the boards to allow for ventilation.

You can make little vented enclosures but yeah, there's only so much you can do in a confined space.