Skin Notation Strategy - Group A (22 Skin Notation Profiles)

In 2009, NIOSH published Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) 61 – A Strategy for assigning New NIOSH Skin Notations. The CIB presents a strategic framework that is a form of hazard identification that has been designed to do the following:

Ensure that the assigned skin notations reflect the contemporary state of scientific knowledge
Provide transparency behind the assignment process
Communicate the hazards of chemical exposures of the skin
Meet the needs of health professionals, employers, and other interested parties in protecting workers from chemical contact with the skin

Additional information on this document can be found at NIOSH Docket Number 153.

This strategy involves the assignment of multiple skin notations for distinguishing systemic (SYS), direct (DIR), and sensitizing (SEN) effects caused by exposure of skin (SK) to chemicals. Chemicals that are highly or extremely toxic and may be potentially lethal or life-threatening following exposures of the skin are designated with the systemic subnotation (FATAL). Potential irritants and corrosive chemicals are indicated by the direct effects subnotations (IRR) and (COR), respectively. Thus with the new strategy, chemicals labeled as SK: SYS are recognized to contribute to systemic toxicity through dermal absorption. Chemicals assigned the notation SK: SYS (FATAL) have been identified as highly or extremely toxic and have the potential to be lethal or life-threatening following acute contact with the skin. Substances identified to cause direct effects (i.e., damage or destruction) to the skin limited to or near the point of contact are labeled SK: DIR, and those resulting in skin irritation and corrosion at the point of contact are labeled as SK: DIR (IRR) and SK: DIR (COR), respectively. The SK: SEN notation is used for substances identified as causing or contributing to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) or other immune-mediated responses, such as airway hyper reactivity (asthma). Candidate chemicals may be assigned more than one skin notation when they are identified to cause multiple effects resulting from skin exposure. For example, if a chemical is identified as corrosive and also contributes to systemic toxicity, it will be labeled as SK: SYS-DIR (COR). When scientific data for a chemical indicate that skin exposure does not produce systemic, direct, or sensitizing effects, the compound will be assigned the notation (SK). The ID(SK) notation is assigned to indicate that insufficient data on the health hazards associated with skin exposure to a substance exist at the time of the review to determine whether the chemical has the potential to act as a systemic, direct, or sensitizing agent. The ND notation indicates that a chemical has not been evaluated by the strategy outlined in this CIB and that the health hazards associated with skin exposure are unknown.

Historically, skin notations have been published in the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. This practice will continue with the NIOSH skin notation assignments for each evaluated chemical being integrated as they become available. A support document called a Skin Notation Profile has been developed for each evaluated chemical. The Skin Notation Profile for a chemical is intended to provide information supplemental to the skin notation, including a summary of all relevant data used to aid in determining the hazards associated with skin exposures.

NIOSH seeks comments on the draft skin notation assignments and Skin Notation Profiles for 22 chemicals. The draft Skin Notation Profiles were developed to provide the scientific rationale behind the hazard-specific skin notation (SK) assignments for the following chemicals:

Document # Substance(s)

A-01 1,3-Dichloropropene (CAS# 542-75-6)[PDF - 136 KB]

A-02 Phenol (CAS# 108-95-2)[PDF - 153 KB]

A-03 Hydrogen fluoride/hydrofluoric acid (CAS# 7664-39-3)[PDF - 118 KB]

A-04 Dinitrotoluene, (CAS# 25321-14-6); 2,4-Dinitrotoluene (CAS# 121-14-2) ; 2,6-
Dinitrotoluene (CAS# 606-20-2)[PDF - 147 KB]

A-05 Acrylamide (CAS# 79-06-1)[PDF - 154 KB]

A-06 Acrylonitrile (CAS# 107-13-1)[PDF - 143 KB]

A-07 Metallic Chromium and other Substances containing Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) (CAS# 7440-47-3; 18540-29-9)[PDF - 149 KB]

A-08 m,p,o-Dinitrobenzene (CAS# 99-65-0; CAS# 528-29-0; CAS# 100-25-4)[PDF - 143 KB]

A-09 Epichlorohydrin (CAS# 106-89-8)[PDF - 164 KB]

A-10 Ethylene glycol dinitrate (CAS# 628-96-6)[PDF - 135 KB]

A-11 Bisphenol A (CAS# 80-05-7)[PDF - 112 KB]

A-12 Formaldehyde (CAS# 50-00-0)[PDF - 146 KB]

A-13 Hydrazine (CAS# 302-01-2)[PDF - 110 KB]

A-14 Nitroglycerin (CAS# 55-63-0)[PDF - 150 KB]

A-15 Nonane (CAS# 111-84-2)[PDF - 115 KB]

A-16 Glutaraldehyde (CAS# 111-30-8)[PDF - 123 KB]

A-17 Sodium hydroxide (CAS# 1310-73-2)[PDF - 108 KB]

A-18 Trichloroethylene (CAS# 79-01-6)[PDF - 130 KB]

A-19 Methyl cellosolve (CAS# 109-86-4) [PDF - 129 KB]

A-20 2-Butoxyethanol (CAS# 111-76-2)[PDF - 127 KB]

A-21 2-Ethoxyethanol (CAS# 110-80-5)[PDF - 121 KB]

A-22 p-Phenylenediamine (CAS # 106-50-3)[PDF - 130 KB]

Each Skin Notation Profile provides a detailed summary of the health hazards of the skin contact and the rationale for the proposed SK assignment with the chemical(s)-of-interest. These documents have been determined by NIOSH to be Influential Scientific Assessments (ISA) in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines under the Federal Data Quality Act 2000 (Public Law 106-554, Section 1(a)(3)[515]).The Skin Notation Profiles do not have the force and effect of law. The overall goal of the review is to enhance the quality and credibility of NIOSH's recommendations by ensuring that the scientific and technical work underlying these recommendations receives appropriate review by independent scientific and technical experts.

Public Comment Period

Written comments on the document will be accepted through June 11, 2010 in accordance with the instructions below. All material submitted to NIOSH should reference Docket Number NIOSH-153-A. All electronic comments should be formatted as Microsoft Word and make reference to docket number NIOSH-153-A.

Comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. ET on June 11, 2010

To submit comments regarding this draft publication, please use one of these options:

Send NIOSH comments using this online form
Send comments by email.
Fax comments to the NIOSH Docket Office: 513-533-8285
Send by Mail to:
NIOSH Mailstop: C-34
Robert A. Taft Lab.
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226