Health aspects of carbonless copy paper

In the past 20 years, there have been numerous reports of skin and mucous membrane disorders allegedly caused by the use of carbonless copy paper, to such an extent that some people in Europe were refusing to work with it and concern was expressed in the European Parliament. In view of its undoubted convenience and superiority over carbon paper, the author was asked by the Commission of the European Communities for a report. Based on visits to manufacturers and users and the investigation of complaints, the conclusion is that, as exposure to the constituents of the paper during its manufacture is considerably greater than in its use and no cases have arisen in his experience in the industry, the complaints are more likely to be attributable to "sick building syndrome" than to the specific effect of any component of the paper.