Combined Analysis of Results on Single and Multiple Contacts: Potting Soil, Sand and Clay Transfers to Cloth for the Estimate of Soil Adherence to Human Skin

Abstract

Humans can be exposed to contaminated soil and household dust via contact with environmental surfaces. A mechanical device was used to measure the transfer of soils from one surface to the other to provide estimates of adherence factors (mg/cm 2 ) used in estimates of human exposure to contaminants found in soils/household dust. This paper presents the analysis and comparison for thetransfer of clay, potting soil, and sand from aluminum to cloth samples for single and multiple contacts under varying environmental and contact time and pressure conditions. Adherence for clay was over 73 times that of sand and over 114 times that of potting soil. Clay particles with their softer texture and finer composition compared to potting soil and sand, are more likely to compress and adhere to surfaces producing higher transfers. Contact time and temperature had no effect, however: contact pressure, soil loading on the aluminum surface, and environmental humidity did have an effect on soil transfer.

Evaluation of a robotic transfer replicator: machine parameters that affect measurements of transfer of particulates from carpet surfaces to human skin versus human skin-like surfaces

“…Many laboratories have performed experiments on the transfer of pesticides and particulates from a variety of donor surfaces to a variety of receptor materials, including human hands and fingers. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] A few of these researchers have calculated the percent transfer (amount transferred/ amount available for transfer). 1 Fewer researchers have documented transfer after multiple transfer events from the same surface.…”