In vitro assessment of the dermal penetration potential of sodium fluoroacetate using a formulated product

This paper presents experimental data on the skin absorption of sodium fluoroacetate from a formulated product using an in vitro approach and human skin. Sodium fluoroacetate is a pesticide, typically applied in formulation (1080) for the control of unwanted vertebrate invasive species. It has been assigned a Skin Notation by the ACGIH, and other international workplace health regulatory bodies, due to its predicted ability to permeate intact and abraded human skin. However, there is a distinct lack of experimental data on the skin absorption of sodium fluoroacetate to support this assignment. This study found that sodium fluoroacetate, as a formulated product, permeated the human epidermis when in direct contact for greater than 10 hr. A steady-state flux (J(ss)) of 1.31 +/- 0.043 mu g/cm(2)/hr and a lag time of 6.1 hr was calculated from cumulative skin permeation data. This study provides important empirical evidence in support of the assignment of a Skin Notation.