Percutaneous Absorption of Benzo(a)pyrene from Soils With and Without Petroleum Crude Contamination

Concern regarding dermal exposure to soils contaminated with potentially toxic materials such as dioxins, pesticides, heavy metals, polynuclear aromatics (PNA), and petroleum products containing PNA, has prompted government and private sectors to examine and formulate dermal risk assessment methodologies for contaminated soils. 1 - 6 Generally, the methodologies that have been devised require information regarding the concentration of contaminant in the soil, dermal exposure to soil, the frequency of exposure, and the degree of absorption of soil-sorbed contaminant through the skin. Data for the last of these parameters, dermal absorption from soil, is rarely available from the literature and very difficult to estimate accurately. 7-8