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2895903 
Journal Article 
Dermal uptake of petroleum substances 
Jakasa, I; Kezic, S; Boogaard, PJ 
2015 
1 
Toxicology Letters
ISSN: 0378-4274
EISSN: 1879-3169 
235 
2 
123-139 
25827404 
WOS:000353345500008 
Petroleum products are complex substances comprising varying amounts of linear and branched alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics which may penetrate the skin at different rates. For proper interpretation of toxic hazard data, understanding their percutaneous absorption is of paramount importance.



The extent and significance of dermal absorption of eight petroleum substances, representing different classes of hydrocarbons, was evaluated. Literature data on the steady-state flux and permeability coefficient of these substances were evaluated and compared to those predicted by mathematical models.



Reported results spanned over 5-6 orders of magnitude and were largely dependent on experimental conditions in particular on the type of the vehicle used. In general, aromatic hydrocarbons showed higher dermal absorption than more lipophilic aliphatics with similar molecular weight. The results showed high variation and were largely influenced by experimental conditions emphasizing the need of performing the experiments under "in use" scenario. The predictive models overestimated experimental absorption. The overall conclusion is that, based on the observed percutaneous penetration data, dermal exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons, even of aromatics with highest dermal absorption is limited and highly unlikely to be associated with health risks under real use scenarios. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 
Petroleum hydrocarbons; Dermal absorption; Skin permeability; Risk assessment