Uptake of chloroform by skin on brief exposures to the neat liquid

The uptake of chloroform into hairless rat's stratum corneum after application of the neat solvent directly to the skin has been studied. Tape stripping was used to determine amounts deposited within the stratum corneum and also the clearance of the compound from the skin following varied levels of exposure. Three minutes exposure to neat chloroform was adequate to achieve a limiting accumulation in the stratum corneum and thus it appears to take this long for the gradient of chloroform to be established fully across this structure. There was indication of progressively deeper penetration of chloroform as the exposure time was increased from 1 to 8 minutes. Local irritation and a loosening of the superficial layers of stratum corneum were apparent with as little as 2 minutes of exposure to the solvent and were exacerbated with further increases in exposure duration. Following exposure, clearance of the solvent from the skin surface was rapid. Interestingly, the rate of clearance, as followed by stripping, was comparable on live and freshly euthanized rats. This implies that once the exposure is terminated evaporation from the surface, and not systemic uptake by way of the local vasculature, is the predominant means of clearance at an open surface.