Could the vapors from dry erase markers harm you or your children?

Toluene

The site of the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety publishes these warnings about toluene and xylene, which are also called methylbenzene or toluene.

WHMIS classifies toluene as “very toxic.” Toluene could kill you if you swallow it. It can harm the fetus if the pregnant mother inhales toluene fumes.

If you breathe it in a confined area like a classroom, your throat may start to hurt and it can also cause damage to your nervous system. You may lose consciousness due to continuous exposure, but if you are still alert, you may suspect toluene fumes you have breathed in from dry erase markers if you have any of the following symptoms.

* Dizziness

* Headache

* Drowsiness

* Confusion

* Nausea

Contact with the eyes or skin can cause damage similar to breathing, as it penetrates the skin. If you ingest it from children’s markers, for example, and something gets into your lungs, it can damage your lungs and suffocate you.

If you work in a noisy environment (such as a classroom) and breathe toluene fumes, it can increase your industrial deafness.

Emergency action if you smell toluene or xylene

Prevent fire by putting out everything that could start a fire. You cannot eliminate the possibility of a static spark, but that cannot be avoided.

If toxin has been inhaled, remove victim to fresh air (for example, evacuate classroom if you smell marker solvent). If someone is feeling unwell, call a poison control center without delay.

If it comes in contact with your skin (fortunately you can tell right away that it is on your skin if it is the thinner from the whiteboard markers due to unusual skin color), wash gently (you don’t want to break the blisters) and thoroughly with a mild, non-abrasive soap, in lukewarm water, and place under a running tap that is warm for a quarter of an hour or more.

If it does come in contact with your eyes, wash them with a warm, gently flowing tap for five minutes while holding the lids open with your fingers. If your eyes still hurt, see a doctor.

If the patient vomits, have the victim lean forward to try to prevent breathing back into the lungs, which could cause fatal lung damage.

Xylene

This solvent can also be disguised as dimethylbenzene, methyl toluene, or xylene.

The WHMIS classification is “very toxic”.

The health hazards are very similar to toluene, so I won’t repeat them here, but the chances of starting a fire appear to be much worse. Xylene vapor in air can even ignite with static electricity and create an explosion.

Health hazards of water as a solvent

Apparently, if you drink several gallons of water every day, you may have “water poisoning.” I did not know that it was possible to drink so much water!

The biggest problems are fluoride and chlorine in drinking water, and an even bigger problem is disinfectant by-products (DBP) that result from killing bacteria in drinking water. DBPs can be a thousand times more toxic than fluoride in drinking water.

Fortunately, solvent water dry erase markers use amounts of water that would not be dangerous to drink and do not emit toxic fumes. Water vapor is not a fire hazard and only very young children report that water injures their skin. And some brands of water-soluble inks in children’s markers can be washed from clothes in water without even using detergent.

Warning: You may find markers that say “Toluene Free” or “Toluene Free” and use xylene as a solvent.

The main drawback to water-based markers is that your writing takes a little longer to dry, but that means the “new” markers you buy are less likely to dry out in the warehouse before you receive them.