Skin Permeability of Perfluorocarboxylic Acids Using Flow-Through Diffusion on Porcine Skin

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are found in a variety of places including cosmetics, rain jackets, dust, and water. PFAS have also been applied to occupational gear to protect against water and oils. However, PFAS have been identified as immunosuppressants and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a specific PFAS, has been identified as carcinogenic. Since there is a risk for dermal exposure to these compounds, there is a need to characterize their dermal absorption. Using in vitro flow-through diffusion, skin permeabilities were determined for 14C-labeled perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) using porcine skin. Tests were conducted over 8 h with either acetone or artificial perspirant as the vehicle. PFBA was found to have greater permeability than PFHxA, likely due to having a smaller molecular weight. The dosing vehicle did not appear to impact permeability rates but impacted the disposition through the skin model. While these PFAS compounds showed a low permeability rate through the skin membranes, they can stay in the skin, acting as a reservoir.

Data and Resources

This dataset has no data

Additional Info

Field Value
Source https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/10/703
Author Ormond, R. Bryan
Last Updated December 12, 2025, 20:06 (UTC)
Created December 12, 2025, 20:06 (UTC)
Dataset Type Article
Publication Title Toxics
Publication Year 2024