Strontium absorption through damaged and undamaged human skin

The absorption of 85Sr was investigated in an experiment on 12 volunteers, with undamaged and traumatized human skin (scratches). The skin scratches were applied with a metal grater in the region of the forearm. The absorption of 85Sr through skin was measured on the basis of external gamma-radiation measurements from the whole body, bone tissue (patella), and from data on the daily excretion of 85Sr, which were compared with data obtained after intravenous injection of the radionuclide. Six hours after contact, 0.26% of 85Sr applied is absorbed through undamaged skin. Over the same period 57.4% of 85Sr applied is absorbed through damaged skin or more than 200 times as much as undamaged skin. Most of 85Sr is absorbed during the first 30 min after application, amounting to 38.0% of the total quantity applied.