A study of the skin absorption of ethylbenzene in man.

The absorption of ethylbenzene through the skin of the hand and the forearm in men was investigated experimentally. Both the absorption of liquid ethylbenzene and the absorption from aqueous solutions were studied. The rate of absorption of liquid ethylbenzene was 22 to 33 mg./cm.2/hr, and the rates from aqueous solutions were ii8 and 2I5 ,ug./cm.2/hr from mean concentrations of I12 and I56 mg./litre. The mandelic acid excreted in urine was equivalent to about 4-6% of the absorbed dose-much less than after lung absorption. Urinary mandelic acid does not provide a reliable index of absorption when there is simultaneous skin and lung exposure.