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Article: Hairy portals for toxic chemicals. (research on chemical absorption through the skin)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- June 25, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Hairy portals for toxic chemicals
Toxicologists tend to focus on the nose and mouth as passageways through which hazardous chemicals enter the body. Skin is another portal for these chemicals, but its role is far less understood. Conventional wisdom has held that the skin's outermost layer of dead cells served as a passive barrier, and that simple diffusion set the rate at which chemicals passed through this inert filter. But that didn't explain why skin permeability at different parts of the body can vary dramatically. A study performed at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory now reveals that structural factors in skin--like hairiness--can affect absorption.
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