Human exposure to styrene. VI: Percutaneous absorption in human volunteers

In order to estimate the importance of skin resorption of styrene, as compared to pulmonary absorption, nine male volunteers were exposed for 10 to 30 min by dipping one hand in liquid styrene. Urine and breath were sampled periodically for metabolites (mandelic and phenylglyoxylic acids) and styrene analyses respectively. The results obtained show that the rate of absorption of styrene through the skin is very low, averaging 1 +/- 0.5 micrograms/cm2 X min. This rate seems to be affected by the duration of exposure. In conclusion, this study shows that skin resorption plays only a minor role in most practical situations.