Can the adult lead methodology be used to determine dermal exposure to lead at a site?
Although percutaneous absorption is generally not a significant route of exposure for inorganic lead, technically, the model can evaluate dermal exposure by incorporating the lead uptake from this pathway into the appropriate equation (see Equation A-3 in the Guidance). However, at this time, quantifying uptake from dermal exposure to soil-borne lead is not recommended due to the uncertainty in assigning a dermal absorption fraction that would apply to the numerous inorganic forms of lead that are typically found in environmental settings.
