This is a characteristic "Aromatic" hydrocarbon, a fairly strong solvent that has long been used as a paint thinner and paint remover for some kinds of paints.

This is a characteristic "Aromatic" hydrocarbon, a fairly strong solvent that has long been used as a paint thinner and paint remover for some kinds of paints. Also the solvent for the "permanent" pigment in the original Magic Markers felt-tip markers which were about the only felt-tips familiar to consumers 60 years ago. It's got that certain smell as the xylene evaporates. >exposure between 200 and 500 ppm, symptoms can include feeling "high", dizziness, weakness, irritability, vomiting, and slowed reaction time. Which is why parents would never let kids use any markers at all back then. Not really, they just didn't want kids writing on walls with permanent ink :/