Dermatotoxicology of sulfur mustard: Historical perspectives from World War I

Abstract

Sulfur mustard has been used as a chemical warfare agent for the past century. After its introduction by the Germans in World War I, investigators quickly began studying its impact on the human body including its deleterious effects on skin. This review focuses on two groups in particular who conducted experiments from 1917 to 1918: the United States Army at the American University Experiment Station Laboratories and Torald Sollmann at Western Reserve University. Through this work, these researchers proved far ahead of their time by anticipating dermatologic phenomena not described in the literature until later in the twentieth century. These include regional variation of percutaneous penetration, effect of vehicle on penetration and predicting immunologic contact urticaria. The work conducted by these researchers set the groundwork for much of twentieth century dermatotoxicology.

In vitro percutaneous penetration test overview

“…Prior to World War I, there was little known about percutaneous penetration. The research of the United States Army, the American University Experiment Station Laboratories, and Western Reserve University, laid the groundwork of our understanding of the effect of foreign chemicals on skin ( Jiang and Maibach, 2018 ). Their work included our foundational knowledge of percutaneous absorption and the effect of various vehicles used on skin.…”