Xylene

Looks like a good Scrabble word, especially if you can use it on a triple points square. Aside from that, xylene does not score many points at EcoSmart Products. Xylene is one of the top 30 chemicals produced in the US in terms of volume.  It can be found in cleaning agents, paint thinners, cigarette smoke, plastics, airplane fuel and gasoline. And it is often found airborne in our classrooms and boardrooms.

Many dry-erase markers contain xylene. Its fumes are what can lead instructors and students to having headaches or feeling lightheadedness, not to mention difficulties breathing for those with asthma, especially when ventilation is poor.

Virtually everyday we are contacted by teachers, parents, students, office workers and organizations who are looking for a dry erase marker that doesn’t give them any of the symptoms above.

We are happy to say our markers don’t have any trace of xylene.  AusPen markers are also refillable and recyclable, each kit saving approx. 20 pounds of toxic waste from being sent to local landfills. It’s one way thousands of classrooms and boardrooms across North America have cleared the air.

A public health statement on xylene, from the Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, can be found at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs71.html#bookmark01