Skin diseases represent one of the most frequently reported types of non-traumatic occupational injuries and illnesses, yet occupational exposure limits and control techniques are primarily designed to protect workers from the health risks associated with the inhalation of chemicals, and not dermal exposures. Less attention is often given to characterizing the hazards of exposures of the skin to chemicals, leaving workers open to a wide spectrum of adverse health outcomes, including localized, systemic, and sensitizing effects. The primary objective of this roundtable is to raise awareness about the hazards of exposure of the skin to chemicals through (1) comparison of the scientific criteria used internationally for the assignment of skin notations; (2) discussion on the new NIOSH strategy for the assignment of skin notations; (3) discussion on developing personal protection equipment recommendations to protect workers from dermal exposures to chemicals; and (4) discussion of new permeation tests for CPC.
• Comparison and Improvement of Scientific Criteria Applied in Identification of Occupational Skin Exposure Hazards. C. Chen, China Medical University, Taichung,
Taiwan.
• The New NIOSH Skin Notations: Alerting Workers to the Hazards of Chemical Exposures of the Skin. G. Dotson, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH.
• Protective Clothing Requirements and the New Approach to Skin Notation. H. Ahlers, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA.
• New Approaches to Permeation Testing of Personal Protective Barriers. A. Shepherd, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA.