This study says “yes, 3D printers decrease indoor air quality. But not enough to really be worth worrying about”.
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I did my own study with VOC, PM sensors, and various air purifiers to see the effect of printing.
In short way, placing high CADR HEPA filter with VOC filtration (not cheesy carbon paper, but actual pellets) pretty much negates all emissions from the printer, both particules and VOC. That includes ABS and ASA printing, as many people are freaked out by styrene VOCs.
For obvious reasons I can’t breakdown on VOC components and see how much styrene gets out (for that you need to trap gas and study it in the lab lol). Which again, completely fine.
Also of possible it’s a good idea to leverage internal air purifing recurculators, like Nevermore or Bento Box. They are highly effective in NOT releasing anything outside of the printer.
You are paraphrasing a reporter’s paraphrasing of the report. The reporter’s take is a bit of a whitewash, yours is entirely one.
The actual report does not say “not enough to be worrying about”. It’s a rigorous report, but non-scientists might not notice the unusual constraints of using unspecified “3D printers that were verified as low emitting” and relatively short, one-shot print jobs.
That is a very subjective conclusion. Thing is, exposures to plasticizers and plastic fumes is probably bad no matter how people want to phrase it. People have different susceptibility to showing symptoms or developing disease. Age and levels of exposure likely matter a lot as well as how often and how concentrated the fumes.
ALARA is the thing to keep in mind. As low as reasonably achievable. Modern history is full of examples where people damaged their health with exposures to chemicals and substances that people originally thought were benign. Younger people especially have whole lifetimes ahead of them for issues to develop and become apparent.
It is always prudent to minimize exposures to chemicals that could potentially be harmful. When people get sick from exposures years or decades prior there generally isn’t much you can do but treat the symptoms. Best to avoid that kind of thing altogether if possible.
I am not worried, but then I also have a car exhaust piped in through the window.
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Which works only when you start your engine…
I can say that in an enclosed space like my basement workshop, if I don’t purge the air once in a while it gets really plastic smelling during printing. I have to fire up my Laser Extractor and open an outside door since there are no windows. I only print PLA and PETG right now, but I also cut and engrave Acrylic, and THAT smell lingers a long time even though it gets extracted outside.