Experimental methodologies and preliminary transfer factor data for estimation of dermal exposures to particles

Abstract

Developmental efforts and experimental data that focused on quantifying the transfer of particles on a mass basis from indoor surfaces to human skin are described. Methods that utilized a common fluorescein-tagged Arizona Test Dust (ATD) as a possible surrogate for housedust and a uniform surface dust deposition chamber to permit estimation of particle mass transfer for selected dust size fractions were developed. Particle transfers to both wet and dry skin were quantified for contact events with stainless steel, vinyl, and carpeted surfaces that had been pre-loaded with the tagged test dust. To better understand the representativeness of the test dust, a large housedust sample was collected and analyzed for particle size distribution by mass and several metals (Pb, Mn, Cd, Cr, and Ni). The real housedust sample was found to have multimodal size distributions (mg/g) for particle-phase metals. The fluorescein tagging provided surface coatings of 0.11–0.36 ng fluorescein per gram of dust. The predominant surface location of the fluorescein tag would best represent simulated mass transfers for contaminant species coating the surfaces of the particles. The computer-controlled surface deposition chamber provided acceptably uniform surface coatings with known particle loadings on the contact test panels. Significant findings for the dermal transfer factor data were: (a) only about 1/3 of the projected hand surface typically came in contact with the smooth test surfaces during a press; (b) the fraction of particles transferred to the skin decreased as the surface roughness increased, with carpeting transfer coefficients averaging only 1/10 those of stainless steel; (c) hand dampness significantly increased the particle mass transfer; (d) consecutive presses decreased the particle transfer by a factor of 3 as the skin surface became loaded, requiring ∼100 presses to reach an equilibrium transfer rate; and (e) an increase in metals concentration with decreasing particle size, with levels at 25 μm typically two or more times higher than those at 100 μm — consistent with the earlier finding of Lewis et al. for the same sample for pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).