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Critical Evaluation of the Wash-In Effect



Details

  • Personal Author:
    Kissel JC
  • Description:
    In the regulatory environment, washing of skin with soap and water is generally considered efficacious for reduction of absorbed chemical dose following dermal exposure. Provision of washing facilities is, for instance, specifically required under the US EPA's Worker Protection Standard, which applies to agricultural workers. However, some discussion can be found in the literature of a phenomenon termed the "wash-in" effect. Briefly stated, it is hypothesized that chemical transport through skin may be facilitated as a result of application of soap and water. While a limited and transient effect of this type is plausible, conditions under which soap and water washing might be contraindicated are not well defined. Results which both apparently support and contradict the wash-in hypothesis can be found in the literature. At its current state of development, the wash-in hypothesis is not useful to policy makers. A key issue is rate of absorption, so the effect is most likely to be of concern in the case of dermal exposure to acutely toxic compounds. Critical evaluation of relevant studies is being pursued simultaneous with an effort to model the effect of skin hydration and swelling on contaminant permeation. The current model describes one-dimensional transport in a two-layer membrane (stratum corneum and viable epidermis) by finite difference approximation. Water transport includes hydration and swelling of the stratum corneum, with concentration dependent diffusion. The objective of this research is to create a model of washing that can inform decontamination strategies applicable to both occupational and non-occupational scenarios. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Publisher:
    International Society of Exposure Science
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Abstract or Summary
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20056078
  • Citation:
    22nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES 2012): Lessons Learned: Contributions of Exposure Science to Environmental and Occupational Health, October 28-November 1, 2012, Seattle, Washington. Ottawa, Canada: International Society of Exposure Science, 2012 Oct; :203
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2013
  • NORA Priority Area:
    Manufacturing
  • Performing Organization:
    University of Cincinnati
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20020901
  • Source Full Name:
    22nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES 2012): Lessons Learned: Contributions of Exposure Science to Environmental and Occupational Health, October 28-November 1, 2012, Seattle, Washington
  • End Date:
    20130731
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:aa8190cf1339d0dccf023f8250b5364a804177aa31cd1f090a42aa6f3e890bd347d53d6b390b7a314c9e4260b4ba21037f7766bb4b0023f73678bc5ed867e064
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 108.03 KB ]
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