Jackson Pijl
How Dangerous Are Your Favourite
Permanent Markers?
Permanent
markers are
used
everywhere;
the office, the
school, and
your home.
What if they
weren’t as
safe as you
thought they
were?
Common house hold permanent markers
What is in permanent markers?
One of the main ingredients in permanent
markers is a solvent called Ethanol (C​2​H​5​OH),
also known as ethyl alcohol. The ethanol
solvent is mixed in with the colour of the
markers. The purpose of this is to keep the
colour liquified inside the pen, and to dissolve
when used to leave the colour on the surface it
was used on. This helps with the
“permanence” of the product.
What is Ethanol?
On its own, Ethanol is a transparent,
colourless liquid with a molecular weight of
46.069 g/mol. The substance has a boiling
point of 78.2 °C, an auto ignition point of
363°C, and a melting point of -114.1 °C. It is
miscible, being able to dissolve non-polar and
polar substances, and has a “pleasant” smell.
Ethanol molecule;
black represents carbon
red represents oxygen and
white represents hydrogen.
When ethanol burns, it has a non-luminous
pale blue flame, and creates CO​2​ and steam. It
dehydrates when is mixed with heated
concentrated Sulphuric Acid. It also oxidizes
when mixed with many different acids
including Acidified Sodium Dichromate
(Na2Cr2O7) and Acidified Potassium
Permanganate (KMnO4).
In large amounts, ethanol is dangerously
flammable, an irritant, and a health hazard.
Ethanol can also cause irritation to eyes and
lungs, increase the ozone-forming emissions,
and damage unborn children and organs.
Research has shown that repeated encounters
with highly concentrated doses of ethanol can
cause cancer within animals, and it is
undetermined if it has the same effect on
humans.
Danger signs warning flammability,
irritant and health hazard
Ethanol as a solvent
Ethanol solvent is now the second most
important solvent next to water, because of
how frequently it is used. Besides being in our
permanent markers, ethanol is also found in
dyes and odour agents. It is most commonly in
vapour and/or liquid form. The ethanol
solvent is not as dangerous as pure ethanol,
and because the markers only contain a small
amount of the solvent, the risks of harm is
very low. Although, with repeated prolonged
exposure it can become quite harmful to both
people and the environment.
 Jackson Pijl

Risks and benefits of ethanol use
Some risks that come with being continually
exposed to ethanol vapour are headaches and
nausea, and the increase of VOCs (volatile
organic compounds) and NO x (nitrogen
oxides) that create ozone-forming emissions.
The liquid form of ethanol can cause organ
toxicity, also known as ink poisoning, when
the skin repeatedly absorbs it.
Benefits of ethanol over other alcohols is that
it is the least toxic and can only seriously
affect someone when it is in large amounts
and someone is exposed to it for an extended
amount of time.
Are there alternatives that could be used
instead of ethanol?
Since ethanol is the least toxic alcohol that can
be used for this purpose, there is not a simple
alternative. The best alternative for someone
who wanted to stay away from the ethanol
markers completely would be to use other
non-toxic or washable markers. These markers
are not meant to be permanent so they switch
ethanol and other alcohols with solvents such
as water and alkylene carbonate.

Can we reduce the harmfulness?

To minimize potential harm, the main thing to
be aware of is the vapour. When using any
permanent markers that have ethanol in them,
use in a well ventilated space and do not
purposely smell the markers. Other safety
precautions when using these products would
be to not draw on yourself. The ethanol will be
absorbed into your skin and that is what leads
to ink poisoning. Overall, the ethanol content
in the permanent markers will not be enough
to cause sufficient harm.

Sharpie on hand; try to avoid when trying to reduce the

harmfulness