ABS Filament safety concerns I have the XYZPrinting da-Vinci-1.0 with ABS filament. I am concerned about ventilation. If this is used inside, what safety precautions are necessary, which are recommended, and/or which are optional?
Yes... The issue with all 3d printing materials. Not just ABS, but worse with ABS is the fine air particulate and Ultra fine it creates during the 3d printing process. PLA is considered safer than ABS. But I fear people will use this as justification, it is like saying I only smoke one cig a day instead of two so I am safe and healthy. No it really should be taken seriously.

There are a number of scientific papers and articles proving that this is an issue. Specifically that 3d printers release ultra fine particles into the air. Which can damage the lungs over time. I would STRONGLY advise not using a 3d printer around children, or at least putting it in the garage where you will not contaminate your homes air supply.

I.E.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231013005086
http://built-envi.com/portfolio/ultrafine-particle-emissions-from-3d-printers/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11139166
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160201-new-study-shows-health-hazards-of-3d-printing-suggests-pla-could-be-your-safest-bet.html


Lot of these have some scary looking graphs. Note that I am being a bit sarcastic when I say "scary looking graphs" the take away is ABS has twice the Fine Partical emission as PLA. However should you be worried, is still up to debate. The idea is that FPE can maybe contribute to cancer or other illnesses. FPEs are thought to irritate the lungs. 

These graphs are of the ultra fine particle emissions.




as you can see PLA is MUCH safer in this regard.

I cannot find the paper at the moment, but the recommendation is a full air cycle several times an hour. As someone that lives in a Cold state I personally just use PLA and am rolling the dice. 

There is another SO where I cover my future plans for an air scrubber.

I will note that other materials such as Polycarbonate should just be plain avoided.

I also want to provide these links on WHY ultra fine particles are bad. In summary they really upset your lungs and are thought to cause lung cancer over time.

Wikipedia on Ultra fine particulates.
White paper on ultra fine particulates.