Dermal exposure assessment

Assessing dermal exposure is a complex task. Even the most commonly used me thods face fundamental problems and there are large gaps in the documentati on and validation of sampling methods. Still larger uncertainties exist reg arding strategies for measurement. We propose a strategy based on a concept ual model and which draws on the considerable insight gained for ail borne contaminants, including EN 689 for assessing exposure by inhalation. The va st amount of air sampling data has provided good insight into the statistic al properties of short-term and long-term exposure levels, which is essenti al for designing cost-effective exposure studies. For surface and skin cont aminants an understanding of the distribution types and parameter values is only beginning to emerge. Transport rates away from the skin contaminant l ever determine the 'memory' of a dermal sample and measurement principles a re proposed depending on these rates. It is argued that uptake is the ultim ate dermal exposure metric for risk assessment and should be the basis for devising dermal occupational exposure limits. (C) 2000 British Occupational Hygiene Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.