Primary Skin Irritants

Information on the potential of chemicals to cause acute skin irritation becomes important. This assumes great significance to establishing procedures and alternative methods for the safe handling, packing, and transportation of chemicals as well as for general safety-assessment purposes.14-17 

Skin irritation is a common problem with chronic exposure to liquid aliphatic hydrocarbons used as industrial solvents. These chemicals extract fats from the 

Ultraviolet Radiation Wavelength Range Effect on Skin 

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Propargyl alcohol is a primary skin irritant and a severe eye irritant and is toxic by all means of ingestion all necessary precautions must be taken to avoid contact with Hquid or vapors. The LD q is 0.07 mL/kg for white rats and 0.06 mL/kg for guinea pigs. 

Butynediol is a primary skin irritant and sensitizer, requiring appropriate precautions. Acute oral toxicity is relatively high LD q is 0.06 g/kg for white... 

Health nd Safety Factors. Butenediol is noncorrosive and stable under normal handling conditions. It is a primary skin irritant but not a sensitizer contact with skin and eyes should be avoided. It is much less toxic than butynediol. The LD q is 1.25 mL/kg for white rats and 1.25—1.5 mL/kg for guinea pigs. 

Health and Safety Factors. Butanediol is much less toxic than its unsaturated analogs. It is neither a primary skin irritant nor a sensitizer. Because of its low vapor pressure, there is ordinarily no inhalation problem. As with all chemicals, unnecessary exposure should be avoided. The LD q for white rats is 1.55 g/kg. 

Material Acute oral LD q tats, s/V Eye irritation, rabbits Primary skin irritation, rabbits... 

Primary Irritancy Studies. These studies are employed to determine the potential of materials to cause local inflammatory effects in exposed body surfaces, notably skin and eye, following acute or short-term repeated exposure. In general, the approach involves applying the test material to the surface of the skin or eye, and observing for signs of inflammation, their duration, and resolution. Reviews have been written about the conduct of primary eye irritation (58,86,87) and primary skin irritation studies (88,89). 

The first -PDA antiozonants were low molecular weight -diaLkyl-/)-PDAs which caused skin irritations. Current higher molecular weight -dialkyl or A/-alkyl-AT-aryl derivatives are not primary skin irritants. A notable exception is A/-(I-methylethyl)-A7-phenyl-/)-PDA, which causes dermatitis. However, since some individuals are more sensitive than others, antiozonants should always be handled with care (46). When skin contact does occur, the affected area should be washed with mild soap and water. In case of eye contact, flush weU with water. Inhalation of mbber chemicals should be avoided, and respiratory equipment should be used in dusty areas. 

The acute oral toxicity and the primary skin and acute eye irritative potentials of dimer acids, distilled dimer acids, trimer acids, and monomer acids have been evaluated based on the techniques specified ia the Code of Eederal Regulatioas (CER) (81). The results of this evaluatioa are showa ia Table 7. Based oa these results, monomer acids, distilled dimer acids, dimer acids, and trimer acids are classified as nontoxic by ingestion, are not primary skin irritants or corrosive materials, and are not eye irritants as these terms are defined ia the Eederal regulatioas. 

Primary skin irritation is the immediate result of the contact of a substance with skin. Symptoms appear only in the area of contact and generally correspond to local erythema and sometimes to edema and vesiculation but they commonly disappear in several hours. When there is a specific immunological response to the substance in contact with the skin, the substance is said to be a sensitizer. Subsequent responses to the contact of the skin with small amounts of this substance will probably cover large areas of the body and are not limited to erythema and edema but also to itching, suppuration, and a long persistence of the reaction. 

Generally speaking, up to now the importance of a-sulfo fatty acid esters in cosmetic products has been low [1 p. 367], In the future they may become more interesting because of their mildness. a-Sulfomethyl laurate and most other ester sulfonates are mild to the skin also, they are not human skin sensitizers or primary skin irritants. Tests have shown that a-sulfomethyl laurate is mild enough to be in bath products, such as bubble bath [62]. Three patents for different applications are given to show how ester sulfonates can be used in cosmetics. 

Comparative primary skin irritation scores of surfactant solutions (15% active content) show various types of sulfosuccinates as being the least irritant materials, well below sodium laureth-3 sulfate. It was also shown that an increase in degree of ethoxylation reduces skin and eye irritation, leading to laureth-3 (lauryl alcohol with 3 mol ethylene oxide) as the ideal organic raw material [17]. The results are given in Fig. 9 for eye irritation and in Fig. 10 for skin irritation. 

Industria Prodotti Chimici. 1975. Primary skin irritation study in rabbits Endosulfan technical. Final report. Hazleton Laboratories America, Inc., Vienna, VA. Project no. 915-111. 

FMC. 1991b. Durad 125. Non-definite primary skin irritation study in rabbits. FMC Corporation, Princeton, NJ. 

In a later development [136,137], cyanuric chloride was proposed as an aftertreatment for cotton already dyed with direct dyes containing amino groups. This approach appears even less likely to succeed than in situ addition to the dyebath. Serious hazards are associated with the handling of cyanuric chloride under these conditions. This highly reactive compound is a primary skin irritant and is known to cause severe allergic reactions in certain individuals. Dye-agent reaction will be inefficient because of hydrolytic deactivation. Uptake of cyanuric chloride (or its hydrolysis products) by the dyed cotton will be poor. 

Skin irritation. Primary skin irritation tests run on this polyether indicate the material should be considered a very irritating substance. 

API. 1980b. Primary skin irritation API 78-3 2 Home heating oil (10% cat). Washington, DC American Petroleum Institute. Project no. 1443-A. 

Hazleton Laboratories Acute Inhalation Exposure—Rats, Mice, and Guinea Pigs Primary Skin Irritation-Rabbits Acute Eye Irritation—Rabbits. Orthochlorotoluene. Final Report. Project No. 157-147 and 157-148. Hazleton Laboratories, Falls Church, VA, June 1, 1966... 

Hoechst Celanese Corp Primary Skin Irritation Tests with Eighteen Materials in Albino Rabbits EPA Document No. 86-890001277 Fiche No. OTS0520783, 07/27/92... 

In an experiment on humans to evaluate the primary skin irritating and skin sensitizing potential of ronnel, 50 subjects received three applications/week for 3 weeks of gauze saturated with a 10% suspension of ronnel in sesame oil there were no significant effects on the skin. ... 

CTFA Submission of Data by CTFA. CIR Safety Data Test Summary, Primary Skin Irritation and Eye Irritation of Triethanolamine, 1959... 

Primary skin irritation rabbit OECD 404 Nonirritant... 

The state of the art is a combination of linear low-density polyethylene (PE-LLD) with hmestone for diaper back sheets. By biaxial orientation, the balance of mechanical permeability requirements can be obtained. Because of its PE-like characteristics Ecoflex is a good choice for a biodegradable back sheet. Ecoflex provides a good regulatory basis for these applications because of the positive results of the primary skin irritation test according to OECD 404, as well as the guinea pig test according to OECD 406. 

E. I. Dupont de Nemours. 1977a. Special primary skin irritation and sensitization on guinea pigs. EPA/OTS doc 86-870001005. 

Mobay Corporation. 1981b. The evaluation of hexamethylene-1,6-diisocyanate for primary skin irritation in rabbits. EPA/OTS doc 86-870001242. 

Other test methods include those in which the induction phase is conducted by intradermal injection together with Freund s adjuvant (a chemical mixture that enhances the antigenic response) and the challenge by dermal application, or tests in which both induction and challenge doses are topical but the former is accompanied by intradermal injections of Freund s adjuvant. It is important that compounds that cause primary skin irritation be tested for skin sensitization at concentrations low enough that the two effects are not confused. 

Toxicity The acute oral LD50 for rats is 5,200 mg/kg, whereas the acute dermal LD50 to rabbits is greater than 5,000 mg/kg. The primary skin irritation and eye irritation to rabbits is moderate. The acute inhalation LC50 to rats is greater than 4.8 mg/L. Studies on carcinogenicity are inadequate for a meaningful evaluation and require more data.25... 

More chemicals also are known to induce primary skin irritation in animals and humans. The following are some selected skin irritants commonly used in laboratory and industrial operations. 

Essentially, all primary skin irritants include acids, alkalis, metals, salts, and solvents. Among organic acids one may include acetic acid, acrylic acid, carbolic acid, chloroacetic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, and salicylic acid. Among inorganic acids one may list arsenious acid, chromic acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and sulfuric acid. Alkalis include butylamines, ethylamines, ethanolamines, methylamines, propylamines, and triethanolamine. One also may include ammonium carbonate, ammonium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium cyanamide, calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate (soda ash), sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and sodium silicate. 

Many metal salts are well-known primary skin irritants. These substances include antimony trioxide, arsenic trioxide, chromium and alkaline chromates, cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, mercury chloride, and zinc chloride. In addition to the above industrial chemicals, several solvents are known to act as primary skin irritants among workers, such as, carbon tetrachloride (CCI4), chloroform, ethylene dichloride, epichlorohydrin, ethylene chlorohydrin, perchloroethylene, and trichloroethylene, in addition to cool tar solvents such as naphtha, toluene, and xylene. 

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