Role of clothing in both accelerating and impeding dermal absorption of airborne SVOCs

• Published in: Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology 2016-01, Vol.26 (1), p.113-118
• Main Authors: Morrison, Glenn C, Weschler, Charles J, Bekö, Gabriel, Koch, Holger M, Salthammer, Tunga, Schripp, Tobias, Toftum, Jørn, Clausen, Geo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/700/3160; 692/700/478; 704/172/169/895; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - urine; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Airborne sensing; Body mass; Chambers; Comparative analysis; Cotton; Denmark; Dermal absorption; Environmental Monitoring; Epidemiology; Exposure; Humans; Indoor air pollution; Indoor environments; Inhalation; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolites; Middle Aged; Organic compounds; original-article; Permethrin; Phthalate plasticizers; Pollutants; Respiration; Risk Assessment; Skin; Skin Absorption; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - urine
• ISSN: 1559-0631; 1559-064X
• DOI: 10.1038/jes.2015.42

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  μ g/kg/( μ g/m 3 ); for exposed clothes the results were 0.178 and 0.261  μ g/kg/( μ g/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.