Skip to main content

Skin and Air Pollution: State of the Art and New Frontiers

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Clinical Handbook of Air Pollution-Related Diseases

Abstract

The skin is the largest human organ, deeply connected with other organs and in charge to provide a strong barrier between the body and the environment. The main body protective skin action is related to a waterproof mechanical barrier, controlling water transcutaneous movement and other electrolytes. This permeability barrier resides in the stratum corneum, a resilient layer of corneocytes and stratum corneum intercellular lipids.

In this work, differences between indoor and outdoor pollutants will not be considered.

Traditionally, medical practices have been focused on hazardous substances that, originally discharged as air pollutants, may find their pathway to human exposure through multiple routes, including dermal contact.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. English JSC, Dawe RS, Ferguson J. Environmental effects and skin disease. Br Med Bull. 2003;68:129–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Goldsmith LA. Skin effects of air pollution. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;14:217–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kampa M, Castanas E. Human health effects of air pollution. Environ Pollut. 2008;151:362–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Katsouyanni K. Ambient air pollution and health. Br Med Bull. 2003;68:143–56.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dales R, Liu L, Wheeler AJ, Gilbert NL. Quality of indoor residential air and health. CMAJ. 2008;179:147–52.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Meding B, Swanbeck G. Occupational hand eczema in an industrial city. Contact Dermatitis. 1990;22:13–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dotterud LK, Kvammen B, BoUe R, Balk ES. A survey of atopic diseases among schoolchildren in Sor-Varanger community. Possible effects of subarctic climate and industrial pollution from Russia. Acta Derm Venereol. 1994;74:124–8.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Eberlein-König B, Przybilla B, Kûhnl P, Pechak J, Gebefügi I, Kleinschmidt J, et al. Influence of airborne nitrogen dioxide or formaldehyde on parameters of skin function and cellular activation in patients with atopic eczema and control subjects. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1998;101:141–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kousha T, Valacchi G. The air quality health index and emergency department visits for urticaria in Windsor. Canada J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2015;78(8):524–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bekö G, Callesen M, Weschler CJ, Toftum J, Langer S, Sigsgaard T, Høst A, Kold Jensen T, Clausen G. Phthalate exposure through different pathways and allergic sensitization in preschool children with asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis. Environ Res. 2015 Feb;137:432–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lee YL, Su HJ, Sheu HM, Yu HS, Guo YL. Traffic-related air pollution, climate, and prevalence of eczema in Taiwanese school children. J Invest Dermatol. 2008;128:2412–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Taylor JS. Environmental chloracne: update and review. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1979;320:295–307.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Tindall JP. Chloracne and chloracnegens. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1985;13:539–58.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Wattanakrai P, Miyamoto L, Taylor JS. Occupational pigmentary disorders. In: Kanerva L, Elsner P, Wahlberg JE, Maibach HI, editors. Handbook of occupational dermatology. Berlin: Springer; 2000. p. 280–94.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  15. Vierkotter A, Schicovski T, Ranft U, Sugiri D, Matsui M, Kramer U, et al. Airobone particle exposure and extrinsic skin aging. J Invest Dermatol. 2010;130:2719–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Vierkotter TS, Ranft U, Sugiri D, Matsui M, Kramer U, J. Krutmann, MPP-1 and -3 promoter variants are indicative of a common susceptibility for skin and lung aging: results from a cohort of elderly women (SALIA). J Invest Dermatol. 2015;135:1268–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Vassoughi M, Schicovski T, Vierkotter A, Sugiri D, Hoffmann B, Teicher T, et al. Air pollution and subclinical airway inflammation in the SALIA cohort study. Immun Ageing. 2014;11:5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Black CM, Welsh KI. Occupationally and environmentally induced scleroderma-like illness: etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. Int Med Spec. 1988;9:135–54.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Baudouin C, Charveron M, Tarroux R, Gall Y. Environmental pollutants and skin cancer. Cell Biol Toxicol. 2002;18:341–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Burke KE, Wei H. Synergistic damage by UVA radiation and pollutants. Toxicol Ind Health. 2009;25:219–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Cruikshank CD, Squire JR. Skin cancer in the engineering industry from use of mineral oil. Br J Ind Med. 1950;7:1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Epstein JH, Ormsby A, Adams RM. Occupational skin cancer. In: Adams RM, editor. Occupational skin disease. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Apicella B, et al. Size exclusion chromatography of particulate produced in fuel-rich combustion of different fuels. Energy & Fuel. 2003;17:565.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Gajjar RM, Miller MA, Kasting GB. Evaporation of volatile organic compounds from human skin in vitro. Ann Occup Hyg. 2013;57(7):853–65.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Weschler CJ, Nazaroff WW. SVOC exposure indoors: fresh look at dermal pathways. Indoor Air. 2012 Oct;22(5):356–77.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Weschler CJ, Nazaroff WW. Dermal uptake of organic vapors commonly found in indoor air. Environ Sci Technol. 2014;48(2):1230–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Brown HS, Bishop DR, Rowan CA. The role of skin absorption as a route of exposure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Am J Public Health. 1984;74(5):479–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Lademann J, Schaefer H, Otberg N, Teichmann A, Blume-Peytavi U, Sterry W. Penetration of microparticles into human skin. Hautarzt. 2004;55:1117–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Pham DM, et al. Oxidization of squalene, a human skin lipid: a new and reliable marker of environmental pollution studies. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2015;37:357.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Lefebvre MA, et al. Evaluation of the impact of urban pollution on the quality of skin: a multicentre study in Mexico. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2015;37(3):329–38.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Penning TM, Burcynski ME, Hung CF, McCoull KD, Palackal NT, Tsuruda LS. Dihydrodiol dehydrogenase and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon activation: generation of reactive and redox active o-quinones. Chem Res Toxicol. 1999;12:1–18.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Kim KE, et al. Air pollution and skin diseases: adverse effects of airborne particulate matter on various skin diseases. Life Sci. 2016;152:126.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Lefebvre MA, et al. Evaluation of the impact of urban pollution on the quality of skin: a multicentre study in Mexico. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2015;37(3):329–38.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Roberts WE. Pollution as a risk factor for the development of melasma and other skin disorders of facial hyperpigmentation is there a case to be made? J Drugs Dermatol. 2015;14(4):337–41.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Valavanidis A, Fiotakis K, Vlachogianni T. Airborne particulate matter and human health: toxicological assessment and importance of size and composition of particles for oxidative damage and carcinogenic mechanisms. J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev. 2008;26(4):339–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Pan TL, et al. The impact of urban particulate pollution on skin barrier function and the subsequent drug absorption. J Dermatol Sci. 2015;78(1):51–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Li M, Vierkotter A, Schicowki T, Huls A, Ding A, Matsui MS, et al. Epidemiological evidence that indoor air pollution from cooking with solid fuels accelerates skin aging in Chinese women. J Dermatol Sci. 2015;79:148–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Magnani ND, Muresan XM, Belmonte G, Cervellati F, Sticozzi C, Pecorelli A, Miracco C, Marchini T, Evelson P, Valacchi G. Skin damage mechanisms related to airborne particulate matter exposure. Toxicol Sci. 2016;149(1):227–36.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Wu CC, Bao LJ, Tao S, Zeng EY. Dermal uptake from airborne organics as an important route of human exposure to E-waste combustion fumes. Environ Sci Technol. 2016;50(13):6599–605.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Brown, R, Cofone, L, Diwan I, Mittelman A, Hoang K, Schaum J. Ability of theoretical skin permeability models to predict permeability coefficient or flux values for environmental pollutants. Presented at Principles of Route-to-Route Extrapolation Meeting; March 1990. Hilton Head, SC; 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Pannier K, Brand RM, Jones DD. Fuzzy modeling of skin permeability coefficients. Pharm Res. 2003;20(2):143–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Katritzky R, Dobchev DA, Fara DC, Hür E, Tämm K, Kurunczi L, Karelson M, Varnek A, Solov'ev VP. Skin permeation rate as a function of chemical structure. J Med Chem. 2006;49(11):3305–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Rivas N. The impermeable facts of skin penetration and absorption. In:Personal care: information based on scientific facts. Saluda, SC: Personal Care Truth; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Noonan PK, Wester RC. Cutaneous metabolism of Xenobiotics. In: Bronough RL, Maibach HI, editors. Percutaneous absorption. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 1989. p. 53–75.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Kurtmann J, Liu W, Li L, Pan X, Crawford M, Sore G, et al. Pollution and skin: from epidemiological and mechanistic studies to clinical implications. J Dermatol Sci. 2014;76:163–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Schaefer H, Redelmeier TE. Skin barrier: principles of percutaneous absorption. New York, NY: S. Karger Publishers, Inc.; 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Ushio H, Nohara K, Fujimaki H. Effect of environmental pollutants on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by normal human dermal keratinocytes. Toxicol Lett. 1999;105:17–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Wépierre J. L’Absorption Percutanée. Produits Pharmaceutiques. 1970;26(6):312–29.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Waldron HA. A brief history of scrotal cancer. Br J Ind Med. 1983;40:390–401.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  50. Frederiksen M, Vorkamp K, Jensen NM, Sørensen JA, Knudsen LE, Sørensen LS, Webster TF, Nielsen JB. Dermal uptake and percutaneous penetration of ten flame retardants in a human skin ex vivo model. Chemosphere. 2016;162:308–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessandro Guido Cavalieri Manasse .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Cavalieri Manasse, A.G., De Bitonto, A. (2018). Skin and Air Pollution: State of the Art and New Frontiers. In: Capello, F., Gaddi, A. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Air Pollution-Related Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62731-1_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62731-1_20

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62730-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62731-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics