Dermal Exposure Resulting from Liquid Contamination

Here, HSE present models that are used in pesticide regulation to predict the amounts of in-use pesticide products that deposit on the surfaces of work clothing and exposed skin.

In estimating human exposure, it is critical to know what fraction of the amount deposited on a worker actually reaches the skin.

It is recognized that human trials (eg. site surveys or workshop-based studies) introduce human factors into investigations of physical phenomena. Human trials that reproducibly replicate test fluids penetrating clothing are impractical.

Therefore the factor for clothing penetration, which is usually, the most sensitive in making protection estimates has to be addressed through unscientific default values.

This project seeks to address this problem through the use of an articulated mannequin to replicate a realistic spraying activity and generate reproducible patterns of "challenge" concentration and to measure the protection given against these challenges by clothing systems.