# Is it safe to 3D print in a bedroom/apartment?

Do not treat a bedroom as a ventilated lab, and do not treat PLA as cleared because a comment says the fumes are minimal. A 2016 chamber study still measured ultrafine particles from PLA printers, and lactide from PLA at about 4 to 5 micrograms per minute. Prusa says to print ABS and ASA in a well-ventilated room because both release fumes, and both articles name styrene. These rows are not a room certificate.

Do not treat a bedroom as a ventilated lab, and do not treat PLA as cleared because a comment says the fumes are minimal. A 2016 chamber study still measured ultrafine particles from PLA printers, and lactide from PLA at about 4 to 5 micrograms per minute. Prusa says to print ABS and ASA in a well-ventilated room because both release fumes, and both articles name styrene. These rows are not a room certificate.

A bedroom printer is a printer in the room you sleep in. [PLA odor](/answers/odor) is the 2016 paper on PLA particles and lactide. [ABS and ASA fumes](/answers/abs_fumes) is styrene and Prusa's ventilate instruction. [Open printers](/answers/open-printer) is which machines have no enclosure. None of those pages is a certificate that an apartment is fine.
## The paper, then the spools

Azimi and coauthors, [Environmental Science & Technology, 2016](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.5b04983), measured ultrafine particles from PLA printers and lactide from PLA at about 4 to 5 micrograms per minute. Styrene from ABS and HIPS in that paper is about 10 to 110 micrograms per minute. The screening result they state is caution in a poorly ventilated small office, or without combined gas and particle filtration. The paper does not certify a hobby filter.

[Prusa's ABS article](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/abs_2058) and [ASA article](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/asa_1809) say to print in a well-ventilated room because the materials release fumes, and both name styrene. Smell is not the measurement. Those are the same sentences already used on the fumes page.

[Bambu PLA Basic](/brand/bambu-lab/pla-basic) lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F), a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), and drying at 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h, sheet checked 14 October 2026. [Bambu ABS](/brand/bambu-lab/abs) lists 230–260 °C (446–500 °F) and a bed of 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) in the Open Filament Database, dataset imported 13 October 2026, and the technical data sheet checked 18 October 2026 stores drying at 80 °C (176 °F) for 8 h. [Bambu ASA](/brand/bambu-lab/asa) lists 235–260 °C (455–500 °F) and a bed of 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) in that same database import, and its sheet checked 18 October 2026 stores drying at 80 °C (176 °F) for 8 h. No safety certification is listed. The order is the polymer the comment calls minimal, then the two Prusa tells you to ventilate. It is not a ranking of which one to run next to a bed.
## What the community says

[a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1gdjje6/): A comment says PLA is safe and the fumes are minimal, and adds a humidity warning about an open window.

[a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1gdjje6/): The 2016 paper still says to be careful in a poorly ventilated small room.

Updated 2026-10-24. Sources accessed 2026-10-24. Use case: Open printers.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Bambu Lab PLA Basic | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — |
| 2 | Bambu Lab ABS | 230–260 °C (446–500 °F) | 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) | — |
| 3 | Bambu Lab ASA | 235–260 °C (455–500 °F) | 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) | — |

## Sources

- [Azimi et al. 2016, Environmental Science & Technology, DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5b04983](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.5b04983) (other)
- [ABS, Prusa Knowledge Base](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/abs_2058) (manufacturer)
- [ASA, Prusa Knowledge Base](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/asa_1809) (manufacturer)
- [Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/7236/6216/files/Bambu_PLA_Basic_Technical_Data_Sheet_bf3411ce-be39-4db7-9669-1b4671d2196b.pdf?v=1734060943) (datasheet)
- [Open Filament Database, Bambu Lab ABS](https://api.openfilamentdatabase.org/api/v1/brands/bambu_lab/materials/ABS/filaments/abs/index.json) (other)
- [Bambu ABS technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_ABS_Technical_Data_Sheet_V3.pdf) (datasheet)
- [Open Filament Database, Bambu Lab ASA](https://api.openfilamentdatabase.org/api/v1/brands/bambu_lab/materials/ASA/filaments/asa/index.json) (other)
- [Bambu ASA technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_ASA_Technical_Data_Sheet.pdf) (datasheet)
- [a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1ezdri8/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1gdjje6/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1kvsas5/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1l5duf9/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1j6q18m/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/bedroom