Skip to main content
PMC home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 1997 Jan;54(1):38–43. doi: 10.1136/oem.54.1.38

Dermal absorption of vaporous and liquid 2-methoxyethanol and 2-ethoxyethanol in volunteers.

S Kezić 1, K Mahieu 1, A C Monster 1, F A de Wolff 1
PMCID: PMC1128633  PMID: 9072032

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To estimate dermal absorption of vaporous and liquid 2-methoxyethanol (ME) and 2-ethoxyethanol (EE) in volunteers. METHODS: Five volunteers (two men and three women) were dermally exposed to vaporised and liquid ME and EE. Dermal exposure on an area of about 1000 cm2 (forearm and hand) to vapours of ME and EE (4000 mg/m3 ME and 3700 mg/m3 EE) lasted for 45 minutes. Duration of exposure to liquid ME and EE on an area of 27 cm2 (forearm) was 15 minutes. Dermal uptake was assessed by measurement of the main metabolites in urinary methoxyacetic acid (MAA) and ethoxyacetic acid (EAA). For each volunteer, excretion of metabolites was compared with a reference inhalatory exposure. RESULTS: Mean (SD) absorption rates of ME and EE vapour were 36 (11) and 19 (6) cm/h respectively. The mean (SD) absorption rates of the liquid ME and EE amounted to 2.9 (2.0) and 0.7 (0.3) mg/cm2.h. CONCLUSIONS: Vaporised and liquid ME and EE are readily absorbed through the skin. In the combined inhalatory and dermal exposure when whole body surface is exposed to vapour, the uptake through the skin is estimated to be 55% of the total uptake of ME and 42% of EE. Dermal uptake resulting from skin contact of both hands and forearms (about 2000 cm2) with liquid ME and EE for 60 minutes would exceed inhalatory uptake of the eight hour occupational exposure limit by 100 times at 16 mg/m3 of ME and 20 times at 19 mg/m3 of EE. The substantial skin uptake of ME and EE indicates that in assessing the health risks biological monitoring and use of biological exposure indices are preferable to environmental monitoring.

Full text

PDF
38

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Corley R. A., Bormett G. A., Ghanayem B. I. Physiologically based pharmacokinetics of 2-butoxyethanol and its major metabolite, 2-butoxyacetic acid, in rats and humans. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1994 Nov;129(1):61–79. doi: 10.1006/taap.1994.1229. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dugard P. H., Walker M., Mawdsley S. J., Scott R. C. Absorption of some glycol ethers through human skin in vitro. Environ Health Perspect. 1984 Aug;57:193–197. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8457193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Groeseneken D., Veulemans H., Masschelein R. Respiratory uptake and elimination of ethylene glycol monoethyl ether after experimental human exposure. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Aug;43(8):544–549. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.8.544. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Groeseneken D., Veulemans H., Masschelein R. Urinary excretion of ethoxyacetic acid after experimental human exposure to ethylene glycol monoethyl ether. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Sep;43(9):615–619. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.9.615. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Groeseneken D., Veulemans H., Masschelein R., Van Vlem E. An improved method for the determination in urine of alkoxyacetic acids. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1989;61(4):249–254. doi: 10.1007/BF00381422. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Groeseneken D., Veulemans H., Masschelein R., Van Vlem E. Experimental human exposure to ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1989;61(4):243–247. doi: 10.1007/BF00381421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Johanson G., Boman A., Dynésius B. Percutaneous absorption of 2-butoxyethanol in man. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1988 Apr;14(2):101–109. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1947. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Johanson G., Dynésius B. Liquid/air partition coefficients of six commonly used glycol ethers. Br J Ind Med. 1988 Aug;45(8):561–564. doi: 10.1136/oem.45.8.561. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Monster A. C., Boersma G., Duba W. C. Kinetics of trichloroethylene in repeated exposure of volunteers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1979 Jan 15;42(3-4):283–292. doi: 10.1007/BF00377782. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Scheuplein R. J., Blank I. H. Permeability of the skin. Physiol Rev. 1971 Oct;51(4):702–747. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1971.51.4.702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wilschut A., ten Berge W. F., Robinson P. J., McKone T. E. Estimating skin permeation. The validation of five mathematical skin permeation models. Chemosphere. 1995 Apr;30(7):1275–1296. doi: 10.1016/0045-6535(95)00023-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES