Determination of volatile organic compounds in human skin gas by GC/MS

Abstract

Little has been known about the cutaneous emanation of chemical compounds absorbed into the human body in working or living environments. The purpose of this study was to estimate the amount of chemical compounds absorbed into body by skin gas analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Skin gas was gathered from the left hand of ten subjects (seven men and three women) working and living in different environments. We detected organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, and p-dichlorobenzene in the skin gas of each subject. There was a significant difference in the average concentration of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol between two groups of subjects belonging to two different laboratories. There was a subject whose toluene was significantly higher than the remaining nine. Because the subject worked for a gas manufacturer, it was supposed that he was exposed to toluene in his workplace. It was suggested that the concentrations of chemical compounds detected in skin gas was influenced by differences in the working or living environments. © 2012 The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.