Lucas, Kurt, Maes, Michael · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2013
This review examines how emissions from laser printers and photocopiers might trigger symptoms in sensitive people, including fatigue, breathing problems, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The study suggests that particles and chemicals released during printing can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. The authors propose that two substances—cinnamon and hydrogen—might help reduce these symptoms by reducing inflammation.
This work proposes a specific molecular mechanism (TLR4 activation) linking environmental exposure to ME/CFS symptom onset, which could help explain how some patients develop or exacerbate their illness from occupational or environmental triggers. If validated, it could identify both modifiable environmental exposures and potential targeted treatments for a subset of ME/CFS patients.
This review does not prove that LP&P exposure causes ME/CFS—it presents a theoretical mechanistic model without clinical trial data supporting the proposed treatments or demonstrating causation in humans. The proposed efficacy of cinnamon and hydrogen for LP&P-induced illness is speculative and has not been tested in the populations described. Individual case reports or associations do not establish that LP&P is a primary causative factor for most ME/CFS cases.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Lucas, Kurt & Maes, Michael (2013). Molecular mechanisms underpinning laser printer and photocopier induced symptoms, including chronic fatigue syndrome and respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness: pharmacological treatment with cinnamon and hydrogen.. Neuro endocrinology letters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24522022/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lucas-2013-molecular-mechanisms,
author = {Lucas, Kurt and Maes, Michael},
title = {Molecular mechanisms underpinning laser printer and photocopier induced symptoms, including chronic fatigue syndrome and respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness: pharmacological treatment with cinnamon and hydrogen.},
journal = {Neuro endocrinology letters},
year = {2013},
note = {PubMed: 24522022},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lucas-2013-molecular-mechanisms},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lucas-2013-molecular-mechanisms
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