Journal of toxicology and environmental health
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J Toxicol Environ Health · Jul 1993
Percutaneous absorption of PCBs from soil: in vivo rhesus monkey, in vitro human skin, and binding to powdered human stratum corneum.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous and persistent environmental pollutants. The major resident site for these PCBs is the soil, and human skin is frequently in contact with soil. Our objective was to determine the percutaneous absorption of the PCBs Aroclor 1242 and Aroclor 1254 from soil. ⋯ Both PCBs readily partitioned from water into soil and human powdered stratum corneum. By difference the partitioning favored both PCBs going from soil into stratum corneum. These data emphasize the role of soil in percutaneous absorption and provide information for appropriate risk assessment.