In the wake of the report, released earlier this week, that expresses grave concerns over the safety of laser printers and ultrafine particulate matter they might be releasing into the air, HP is striking back. Today I received the company's official (and, I have to say, scathing) response to the matter: "HP does not agree with [the study's] conclusion or some of the bold claims the authors have made."

HP doesn't really claim that its printers don't release ultrafine particles (though it's important to note that the study showed that many HP printers didn't release any emissions at all), saying that they are "consistently below recognized occupational exposure limits."

Rather, HP is taking issue with the notion that these emissions are dangerous. Here's what HP says: "There are no indications that ultrafine particle (UFP) emissions from laser printing systems are associated with special health risks. Currently, the nature and chemical composition of such particles—whether from a laser printer or from a toaster—cannot be accurately characterized by analytical technology."

HP agrees more testing is needed and is working with independent testing group Air Quality Sciences in the U.S. and a similar group in Germany. As well, the company says that HP products meet all current health and safety guidelines for office equipment.

So there you have it. HP says the printers are safe. Australia says they aren't. Who's right? Stay tuned, as I'm sure this argument is about to get really nasty...

You can find the entire text of HP's rebuttal here.