US EPA

4795803 

Journal Article 

NIOSH Skin Notation (SK) Profile: Acrylic Acid (CAS No. 79-10-7) 

Hudson, NL; Dotson, GS 

2017 

Although no studies were identified that fully evaluated potential systemic effects following repeated or prolonged dermal exposure, sufficient data were identified from dermal absorption and penetration studies in animals [Basic Acrylic Monomer Manufacturers 1993; Winter and Sipes 1993; Black et al. 1995] and acute dermal toxicity studies in rabbits [Smyth et al. 1962; Carpenter et al. 1974] to show that acrylic acid has the potential to be absorbed through the skin and is acutely toxic following dermal exposure. Undiluted acrylic acid [Smyth et al. 1962; Carpenter et al. 1974;] and possibly concentrations greater that 5% are corrosive to rabbit or rat skin, whereas concentrations up to 5% may be irritating to the skin [DePass et al. 1984]. Results from skin sensitization studies suggest that distilled acrylic acid is not likely to be a skin sensitizer, whereas commercial preparations using methods that do not include distillation are likely to contain impurities or polymerization inhibitors that are potential skin sensitizers [Waegemaekers and van der Walle 1984; IPCS 1997]. Therefore, on the basis of these assessments, acrylic acid is assigned a composite skin notation of SK: SYS-DIR (COR). Table 3 summarizes the skin hazard designations for acrylic acid previously issued by NIOSH and other organizations. The equivalent dermal designations for acrylic acid, according to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, are Acute Toxicity Category 4 (Hazard statement: Harmful in contact with the skin) and Skin Corrosion Category 1A (Hazard statement: Causes severe skin burns and eye damage) [European Parliament 2008].