Percutaneous penetration via hand eczema is the major accelerating factor for systemic absorption of toluene and xylene during car spray painting.

Background: For absorption of organic solvents, the respiratory tract is well known as the major site, but percutaneous absorption might be critical in some workplaces.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to determine whether the skin, if disordered, is 1 of the major routes of organic solvent absorption.

Patients/methods: 72 male workers who painted the car body in the booth of a Japanese car company were participated in this study. The severity of hand eczema, urinary metabolites of organic solvents and the concentration of airborne organic solvents were measured.

Results: The correlation coefficiency between the skin severity index and the urinary concentration of hippuric acid or methylhippuric acid was statistically significant. There was no significant correlation between their urinary values and the air concentration of mixed organic solvents.

Conclusions: The skin is a more critical absorption route for organic solvents than the respiratory tract in some occupational settings. Hand eczema is a common disease and has a possibility to be a critical absorption route of organic solvents.