Field Measurement of Dermal Soil Loading Attributable to Various Activities: Implications for Exposure Assessment

Estimates of soil adherence to skin are required for assessment of dermal exposures to contaminants in soils. Previously available estimates depend heavily on indirect measurements and/or artificial activities and reflect sampling of hands only. Results are presented here from direct measurement of soil loading on skin surfaces of volunteers before and after normal occupational and recreational activities that might reasonably be expected to lead to soil contact. Skin surfaces assayed included hands, forearms, lower legs, faces and/or feet. Observed hand loadings vary over five orders of magnitude (roughly from 10–3 to 102 mg/cm2) and are dependent upon type of activity. Hand loadings within the current default range of 0.2 to 1.0 mg/cm2 were produced by activities providing opportunity for relatively vigorous soil contact (rugby, farming). Loadings less than 0.2 mg/cm2 were found on hands following activities presenting less opportunity for direct soil contact (soccer, professional grounds maintenance) and on other body parts under many conditions. The default range does not, however, represent a worst case. Children playing in mud on the shore of a lake generated geometric mean loadings well in excess of 1 mg/cm2 on hands, arms, legs, and feet. Post‐activity average loadings on hands were typically higher than average loadings on other body parts resulting from the same activity. Hand data from limited activities cannot, however, be used to conservatively predict loadings that might occur on other body surfaces without regard to activity since non‐hand loadings attributable to higher contact activities exceeded hand loadings resulting from lower contact activities. Differences between pre‐ and post‐activity loadings also demonstrate that dermal contact with soil is episodic. Typical background (pre‐activity) geometric mean loadings appear to be on the order of 10‐2 mg/cm2 or less. Because exposures are activity dependent, quantification of dermal exposure to soil will remain inadequate until data describing relevant human behavior (type of activity, frequency, duration including interval before bathing, clothing worn, etc.) are generated.