Complex mixture effects on the dermal absorption of benzo[a]pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from mouse skin.

To study the dermal penetration of benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) in relation to other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a complex mixture of PAHs was applied to the backs of CD-1 mice, and the dermal residence times of BAP and eleven other PAHs were determined using gas chromatography. The dermal penetration of BAP was found to be representative of the other PAHs studied, with a dermal half-life of 6.7 h. Half-lives of the other eleven PAHs ranged from 5.0 to 8.8 h. The dermal half-life of BAP applied in a volatile organic solvent, rather than a PAH mixture, was 3.0 h. The effects of five complex organic mixtures, with boiling points ranging from 300-700 degrees F to greater than 850 degrees F, on the dermal residence time of BAP was studied by adding radiolabeled BAP to the mixtures, and applying them to the backs of mice. All of the mixtures studied increased the dermal residence time of BAP by amounts ranging from 1.8-fold to 6.9-fold.