Techno-phobes, take note. There could be a whole new cause to worry about our brave, high-tech world: Laser printers.

It seems that printers could be a health hazard, according to a BBC article. A team of researchers in Australia conducted a study, and found that about one-third of all printers emit dangerous levels of toner into the air.

Once these microscopic particles are in the air, we breathe them in and they damage our airways and lungs much like cigarette smoke.

Inhaling toner apparently can irritate our lungs and cause chronic pulmonary illnesses, such as respiratory and cardiovascular problems and lung cancer. Apparently, the particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, which, of course, is harmful.

I don't know if I'd blame it on the printers, but back when I toiled away in a busy newsroom -- one that had a lot of fairly active printers -- I did suffer from more coughs. I also came down with bronchitis each spring. Still, I'm not sure whether this had as much to do with printers as it did the fact that I worked in very close proximity to a lot of co-workers.

The odd thing is, the scientists never suspected that printers or toner ink could pose a health risk. They actually happened upon this discovery by accident. Their experiment involved comparing indoor air pollution to outdoor air pollution.

To their surprise, they found that indoor air was up to five times worse than outdoor conditions during peak working hours.

It does, I think, make sense that indoor air quality should be regulated. Government agencies, such as the Occupational Health and Safety Administration -- which is charged with workplace safety -- can require offices to provide better ventilation systems.

According to the researchers behind the study, better ventilation is one solution. I'm betting another is not hovering over the printer while it's working.