Role of Clothing in Both Accelerating and Impeding Dermal Absorption of Airborne SVOCs
Abstract
To assess the influence of clothing on dermal uptake of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), we measured uptake of selected airborne phthalates for an individual wearing clean clothes or air-exposed clothes and compared these results with dermal uptake for bare-skinned individuals under otherwise identical experimental conditions. Using a breathing hood to isolate dermal from inhalation uptake, we measured urinary metabolites of diethylphthalate (DEP) and di-n-butylphthalate (DnBP) from an individual exposed to known concentrations of these compounds for 6 h in an experimental chamber. The individual wore either clean (fresh) cotton clothes or cotton clothes that had been exposed to the same chamber air concentrations for 9 days. For a 6-h exposure, the net amounts of DEP and DnBP absorbed when wearing fresh clothes were, respectively, 0.017 and 0.007 μg/kg/(μg/m 3); for exposed clothes the results were 0.178 and 0.261 μg/kg/(μg/m 3), respectively (values normalized by air concentration and body mass). When compared against the average results for bare-skinned participants, clean clothes were protective, whereas exposed clothes increased dermal uptake for DEP and DnBP by factors of 3.3 and 6.5, respectively. Even for non-occupational environments, wearing clothing that has adsorbed/absorbed indoor air pollutants can increase dermal uptake of SVOCs by substantial amounts relative to bare skin.
Recommended Citation
G. C. Morrison et al., "Role of Clothing in Both Accelerating and Impeding Dermal Absorption of Airborne SVOCs," Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 113 - 118, Springer Nature, Jan 2016.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.42
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
biomonitoring; dermal exposure; emerging contaminants; exposure modeling; phthalates
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1559-064X; 1559-0631
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 Springer Nature, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2016
PubMed ID
26058800
