Health aspects of White board vs black board I am wondering about the health aspects of black boards and white boards.

Black boards have now been around for centuries. Their only detrimental health effect is the chalk dust. Some senior colleagues tell me that they are having breathing issues after several years of teaching. Then again, it's just chalk, which is chemically fairly well-understood.

White boards are a rather recent fad in academia. They do not -seem- to produce dust as much as blackboards, but nevertheless there is a mess over time with ink dripping down onto the floor, and you need replace the erasers regularly. Last but not least, I have no clue about the ink used in those pens and their health effects.

Do you have practical advice how to handle black boards and white boards, and do you know about medical research about them?
The only type of board that doesn't affect the air in the classroom is a digital whiteboard (aka a smartboard). If you're using an actual white board or black board be sure that your room is well ventilated and cleaned often. For chalk boards specifically some sources recommend chalk holders and even face masks.

Here are the papers I found on the subject of white/black boards and health:

Blackboards


Effects of Chalk Use on Dust Exposure and Classroom Air Quality



  Although using chalkboards in the
  classroom is a traditional and effective teaching method,
  chalk generates a large amount of airborne dust, and
  particularly submicrometer dust and nanoparticles that can
  penetrate into the respiratory system. 


Investigation of Lecturer's Chalk by X-Ray Florescence and Fast Neutron Activation Techniques



  The presence of Ca and small traces of Al, Fe, Mg and Si elements in the different lecturer's chalk samples were confirmed utilizing Fast Neutron Activation Analysis (FNAA), lifetime, and X-ray florescence (XRF) techniques. [...] It is highly recommended that Chalk dust is
  considered an irritant and an occupational hazard as shown in this investigation.


Assessment of Airborne Fine Particulate Matter and Particle Size Distribution in Settled Chalk Dust during Writing and Dusting Exercises in a Classroom



  Though real-time airborne chalk dust generation was found to be low in this study and chalk dust contained only calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate predominantly and did not contain toxic materials, chalk dust could be harmful to allergic persons and may cause lacrimation and breathing troubles in the long run and certainly is a constant nuisance in classrooms as it may soil clothes, body parts, audio visual aids and study materials. The issue of allergy, lacrimation and breathing problem is certainly critical, considering that classroom teaching involves predominantly children and also in many cases teachers who might have crossed the middle age, thus becoming more susceptible. Exposure to low concentrations of fine particles for longer durations can be a matter of concern for children.


Trace elemental profile of School Chalk from a few Companies in Punjab
areas by WDXRF Technique



  The results of this study confirmed the presence of the elements like Ca, Al, Fe,
  Si, Ni, and Cr are in significant concentrations. The exposure to elements like Ca, Al, Si, Fe, Ni and
  Cr causes irritation to eyes and skin, cough, potential health symptoms includes accumulation to
  lungs. The study confirmed that black board chalk is an irritant and occupational hazard. 




"Dust free" chalks


Investigation of particulate matter performances in relation to chalk selection in classroom environment



  Surprisingly, dustless chalk made from Gypsum cannot be called really as dustless because of more [particulate matter] emissions. 


Allergenicity of casein containing chalk in milk allergic schoolchildren


Dust free chalk often contains casein, which can cause asthma if someone is allergic to milk (typically it's infants and children who have this allergy).



Whiteboards

I didn't find as much research on whiteboards, unfortunately.


Solvent Exposure during use of Solvent-Based Whiteboard Markers



  It does not appear that heavy use of
  solvent-based whiteboard markers by students in a classroom situation would likely result in
  excessive acute solvent exposures. 


Analysis of the indoor air quality in greek primary schools



  [C]lassrooms using chalk in blackboard are characterized with significant concentrations of large  sized  particles  (PM2.5 &amp;  PM10),  while  classrooms  using  marker  in  whiteboards  from increased VOCs and CO concentrations


Volatile organic compound emissions from markers used in preschools, schools, and homes


I couldn't read enough of this paper to reach any conclusions, but it seems relevant nonetheless