Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine

Introduction Whiteboards have, for the most part, replaced the traditional chalk board in the classroom setting. Potential for exposures to individual users has been investigated. For one user, even with heavy use, the maximum solvent exposure measured is <2 ppm of solvent. CPSC has recently been contacted by school systems that describe a new use of these markers. Whiteboards are cut up into small sections and distributed to students in a classroom. Each student then uses the boards and whiteboard markers for a class project. CPSC, in cooperation with Duke, reviewed the generic formulas, by class, for all whiteboard markers certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). Whiteboard marker inks have solvent systems that may contain water, alcohol , various glycols, ketones or acetates. CPSC expressed concern over the possibility of overexposures to highly volatile ketone and acetate solvents. Based on their concern the following study was designed to address whether or not use of whiteboard markers by many students at once may create an overexposure situation.