Although skin contamination by radionuclides is the most common cause of nuclear workers accidents, few studies dealing with the penetration of radioactive contamination through the skin are available. This work is a review of experimental methods that allow to assess transfer of radionuclides through the skin in occupational conditions, with or without skin trauma. The first section describes the different methods applied for skin transfer assessment of chemicals used in pharmacology. Major radionuclide contamination accidents can be associated with skin traumas. Thus, the second section describes the adaptation of these methods to radiotoxicology. Finally, the third section is an in vivo investigation of cobalt transfer (57CoCl2) through undamaged and damaged skin which simulates different industrial accident conditions (excoriation, acid or alcalin burn, scalding, branding).Key words: skin lesion, cobalt, percutaneous absorption, skin radiocontamination, Franz's cell.
The Influence of β-Irradiation on Micromycetes Isolated from the Zone of Radionuclide Contamination
