Dermal Exposure
The United States of America Bureau of Labor Statistics states that work-related skin diseases are the second most common type of work-related disease. There are A lot of ways in which dermal exposure can be dangerous, some of which are recognized below.
Evaluating dermal exposure can be difficult and warning
signs are limited. However, being aware of the substances in work environments
and employing common sense along with some regularly used tests can be useful.
The information below is provided to help evaluate dermal exposure.
- While "Skin" notation is an alert, the means to evaluate the magnitude of dermal exposure, its importance relative to airborne exposure, and the effectiveness of preventive controls, are limited.
- Limits for biological response, called Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs®) by the ACGIH, have been set for 36 chemicals or chemical groups however, only 15 of these chemicals have a "Skin" notation, suggesting that less than half of these BEIs are for chemicals that are significantly absorbed through the skin. Biomonitoring methods are discussed at greater length elsewhere.
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