A STUDY OF CERTAIN FACTORS GOVERNING THE PENETRATION OF MERCURY THROUGH THE SKIN OF THE RAT AND THE RABBIT

¹ From the Division of Pharmacology, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C.

1. The vehicle appears to have the greatest influence on the penetration of mercury. Of the single component vehicles, oleic acid and propylene glycol support the greatest penetration of mercury. With the exception of water, the poorest vehicles are the ones which have been most frequently incorporated in ointments, namely, petrolatum, mineral oil and lanolin.

2. Next to the vehicle, the compound of mercury appears to have the greatest influence on the cutaneous penetration of mercury.

3. Cutaneous penetration is least affected by the concentration of mercury in the ointment. In the case of the yellow oxide of mercury, it requires a 25-fold increase in concentration in the ointment to cause a doubling of penetration.

4. Reduction in particle size of calomel increases the penetration of mercury.

5. Addition of 15 per cent sulfathiazole to a calomel ointment reduces cutaneous penetration of mercury by approximately one-third.

6. The type of vehicle appears to determine the effectiveness of the wetting agent in increasing the penetration of mercury through the skin.

7. Evidence is presented to show that interaction between the mercury compound and the vehicle may materially modify penetration through the skin.

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