Authors
Jee-Hyun Hwang, Hogeon Lee, Ye Ji Koo, Dae Yong Jang, Dal Woong Choi, Kyung-Min Lim
Published in
Journal of applied toxicology : JAT. Oct 30, 2026. Epub Oct 30, 2026.
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major air contaminants posing health risks, yet dermal absorption of airborne VOCs remains poorly understood. We developed a proposed (experimental) method using porcine skin membranes in a closed chamber to evaluate six VOCs-non-polar (toluene, m-xylene, styrene) and polar (acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, tetrahydrofuran)-at 100 and 1000 mg/m3 for up to 24 h. Quantification across skin wash, stratum corneum, and skin deposit (SD) compartments showed that uptake generally peaked within hours before declining, consistent with a dynamic diffusion-volatilization equilibrium. Toluene exhibited a concentration-dependent peak shift, suggesting saturation-driven back-diffusion. Permeability was not governed solely by lipophilicity; molecular size and hydrogen-bonding capacity appeared to drive polar VOC transport, with acetonitrile showing the highest apparent flux (Japp = 158.51 μg/cm2/h at 1000 mg/m3) and permeability coefficient (Kp,app = 158.5 cm/h). Vapor exposure induced distinct epidermal vacuolization and hydropic degeneration compared with direct liquid contact. Whole-body extrapolation yielded substantial idealized dermal burden estimates for toluene (716 mg) and acetonitrile (626 mg) at 100 mg/m3 over 2 h; although these values should not be interpreted as realistic absorbed doses but nonetheless suggest, alongside typical respiratory intake, that airborne VOC dermal uptake merits inclusion in VOC risk assessments.
PMID:
42959001
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Oct 2026.
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