Hi,
I have parrots in another area of the house from where my Form 3 is located and after printing my first model using the gray resin, I have noticed the fumes seem to be kinda on the strong side. Since parrots have a sensitive respiratory system, I’m a little concerned that the fumes might be harmful to them.
Does anyone know if this should be a concern?
Thanks
-Bob
Hey Bob!
Thanks for your question and for making be do a double-take at a thread title! Not every day I get asked this one!
The answer is a little tricky, largely because we haven’t done extensive Parrot-centric testing of our printers, so even if it’s safe for people, I don’t want to mislead you into thinking it’s also safe for parrots!
At the risk of giving a very broad answer, I suspect if a room has relatively adequate airflow and doesn’t have the dimensions of like…a broom closet, you and your bird friend should be OK. That being said, I might recommend speaking to your veterinarian about that. Better safe than sorry, especially with pets. 
Below, you’ll find a link to our health and safety page, which I might recommend forwarding on to your vet to get their expert opinion.
Additionally, I’ll say that with our resins, smells are not necessarily linked to toxicity, some resins are just a little more smelly. Again though, better not to take chances without talking to someone who can speak more knowledgeably on the respiratory sensitivity of parrots.
https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Safety-form2?language=en_US
Thanks Dan for the fast response! I’ll follow up with my vet and let the forum know he says.
Here is an update this thread.
I spoke to my local veterinarian, and they directed me to call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 to find out of the fumes could be hazardous. I provided the chemicals specific to the grey resin and they informed be that it could be an irritant to the birds respiratory system and advised that if possible to either move the printer to another area, or vent the fumes. For me I already have a fume extractor and will use that going forward.
If by chance someone else has birds and has the same concerns, I would recommend reconfirming this information as there is always a chance this may not be 100% correct for their situation.
Another update regarding what I have done to contain the odors from the printer. I tried the fume extractor, and while it did reduce the fumes it did not prevent the odors from traveling to the other rooms.
So, while not at all stylish… a 33 gallon black garbage bag has done the trick for keeping the odors from wafting throughout the house.
