Estimation of Dermal Uptake of Airborne Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Using a Passive Sampler With Porcine Skin Membrane

ABSTRACT Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major air contaminants posing health risks, yet dermal absorption of airborne VOCs remains poorly understood. We developed a proposed (experimental) method using porcine skin membranes in a closed chamber to evaluate six VOCs—non‐polar (toluene, m‐xylene, styrene) and polar (acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, tetrahydrofuran)—at 100 and 1000 mg/m 3 for up to 24 h. Quantification across skin wash, stratum corneum, and skin deposit (SD) compartments showed that uptake generally peaked within hours before declining, consistent with a dynamic diffusion–volatilization equilibrium. Toluene exhibited a concentration‐dependent peak shift, suggesting saturation‐driven back‐diffusion. Permeability was not governed solely by lipophilicity; molecular size and hydrogen‐bonding capacity appeared to drive polar VOC transport, with acetonitrile showing the highest apparent flux ( J app = 158.51 μg/cm 2 /h at 1000 mg/m 3 ) and permeability coefficient ( K p,app = 158.5 cm/h). Vapor exposure induced distinct epidermal vacuolization and hydropic degeneration compared with direct liquid contact. Whole‐body extrapolation yielded substantial idealized dermal burden estimates for toluene (716 mg) and acetonitrile (626 mg) at 100 mg/m 3 over 2 h; although these values should not be interpreted as realistic absorbed doses but nonetheless suggest, alongside typical respiratory intake, that airborne VOC dermal uptake merits inclusion in VOC risk assessments.