You may have seen the statement ‘xylene-free’ a lot when purchasing your whiteboard pens. But what does xylene-free mean? And why does it matter?
Quite simply, xylene is a solvent. It is a synthetic chemical produced from petroleum and coal tar. Xylene is most commonly used in the printing, rubber and leather industries.
Doesn’t Sound Good Already, Does it?
Breathing lots of vapors from products such as paint and varnish can expose you to xylene. This is then rapidly absorbed by your lungs. This is then passed into your blood soon after entering the body.
Xylene can also stay in the air until it is broken down by sunlight and other chemicals.
Short term exposure to high levels of xylene can cause headaches, confusion and dizziness, as well as more serious symptoms such as skin, eyes, nose and throat irritation, breathing difficulty, impaired memory and stomach discomfort.
Here are some Suitable Markers!
When choosing your whiteboard pens, it’s beneficial to choose pens that are xylene-free, especially if they will be used in areas that are not well ventilated, around children, or in medical settings where there may be individuals with weaker immune systems.
All Show-me markers are safety optimised with a range of features including xylene-free ink.
Not only are Show-me markers safe for the classroom they have been carefully designed for small hands in the busy classroom. You’ll find them in thousands of classrooms, from Iceland to New Zealand and everywhere in between. The slim barrel has an easy fit lid that’s easy for children to use, extra-hard nib won’t easily splay out and a clever nib-stop that prevents the tip from being pushed into the barrel. Try the Show-me range today.
This blog was refreshed on 11/06/2025.