ABSTRACT
It is probably reasonable to say that most measurements of percutaneous absorption in vivo in humans use the forearm as the penetrant application site. It is apparent from the literature, however, that obvious differences exist in skin absorption resistance as a function of anatomic site (see Wester et al., Chap. 28). These two facts assume significance when it is recognized that where toxic effects result from dermal exposure, the forearm may not be the skin contact site or may be only a small fraction of the total exposed area. In this chapter we compare total body exposure evaluated using percutaneous absorption data obtained at different anatomical sites with that predicted on the basis of forearm penetration results alone. We make the same comparison for limited dermal exposure to specific body regions, namely, the face and hands. Because of the scarcity of regional absorption data, it must be stressed that our treatment is illustrative rather than definitive; nevertheless, we believe that the approach is relevant to any analysis of risk following the dermal exposure of man to harmful chemicals.
