A 1989 “Rachel’s Hazardous Waste News #120” newsletter specifically discusses skin absorption of dioxins, which are receiving a lot of attention in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern disaster in Ohio because they were released during the “controlled explosion” and burning of vinyl chloride.
Evidence that was new at the time suggested that skin absorption of dioxins is perhaps worse than eating or breathing the toxins. Babies are especially prone to skin uptake because their skin is softer and more porous than that of adults.
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences studied skin exposure to dioxins using test mice and rats. They found that some chemicals enter the body via the skin much easier than others. They also discovered that lower doses of dioxin can actually be more harmful, in some cases, than larger doses.
“In the past, the theory has been that the skin (which has a total area of 1.8 square meters in the adult human) has served as a passive barrier to chemicals,” the newsletter explained. “Now it is apparent that the skin is very active in metabolizing (biologically altering) chemicals and that these metabolic processes affect the way the body absorbs (or does not absorb) a particular chemical.”...<<<Read More>>>...
