| The Home page of ILPI's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Resource, the leader in SDS information since 1995! | |
| The history and philosophy behind this resource. | |
| A curated collection of books and reference materials concerning Safety Data Sheets and closely related topics. | |
| Paste your plain text SDS into the SDS-Demystifier, and it will be converted into a hypertext-enriched document with links to detailed explanations of each key term. | |
| An extensive list of frequently asked questions about Safety Data Sheets including regulations, content, compliance, and more. | |
| A humorous take on Safety Data Sheet jargon. Fill in the blanks on our entry form to generate a personalized Unsafety Data Sheet to share with your coworkers. | |
| Since 1995, we've maintained this massive curated list of the best places to find Safety Data Sheets on the Internet. | |
| You are here! Way more than a glossary, this hypertext-enhanced resource covers hundreds of SDS-related terms and expert knowledge. Each entry includes both the SDS relevance and links to additional authoritative resources. | |
| Archived results of Safety Data Sheet related polls taken by some of our millions of site visitors | |
| The OSHA regulations behind SDS regulations, including the inspection guidelines and over 400 official interpretations letters under the Hazard Communication Standard | |
| Commercial suppliers of SDS authoring and management software as well as cloud compliance services. | |
| Commercial companies that will create SDS's for your specific needs as well as SDS translation companies. |
Safety signs, banners, and scoreboards? Get yours at Safety Emporium!
Cutaneous
Definition
Cutaneous relates to or affects the skin.
Subcutaneous refers to being below the skin (as in a penetrating injury, injection or intravenous line).
Percutaneous refers to being passed, done or effected through the skin. For example, some materials pass through exposed skin, causing poisoning.
Additional Info
Some chemical solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) have the ability to easily and rapidly carry dissolved substances through the skin and into the body. Solutions of such materials therefore need to be treated with great respect and proper precautions (see below). Others, such as many phenols, can rapidly penetrate your skin on their own and are exceedingly toxic upon such dermal exposure.
Safety Emporium carries all kinds of eye/face washes, safety showers, drench hoses and more.
Corrosive chemicals such as acids and bases can cause immediate and potentially irreversible damage to unprotected skin. While most acids are easily rinsed off, hydrofluoric acid (HF) can penetrate skin painlessly and without obvious signs of damage...and then then cause severe internal damage or death; see our acid entry for more on HF. Bases (alkalis; caustics) also penetrate skin and are not easily removed by rinsing. See our corrosive entry for more on water flushing as a first aid measure.
SDS Relevance
This term appears on Safety Data Sheets in many contexts. For example, you may see the terms "cutaneous exposure", "cutaneous hazard", "cutaneous irritation" or "cutaneous absorption" to describe the effects of getting the material on your skin or "cutaneous route" to describe how the material can get into your body. The term may also refer to animal testing methods.
Use your SDS to determine the required personal protective equipment (PPE) that you must use. Protecting the skin (with gloves, aprons, coveralls, face masks etc.) is important. After all, the skin is the largest organ in the human body.
Remember that gloves are not impermeable or resistant to all substances. Some gloves are completely ineffective against certain types of chemicals. See the links under Further Reading in our dermal entry for some glove selection guides.
Further Reading
- Skin Anatomy from Gray's Anatomy.
- Anatomy, Skin (Integument), Epidermis at the NIH's National Library of Medicine.
- Structure and Function of the Skin at The Merck Manuals Consumer version.
- Different Parts of the Skin at the University of Heidelberg. Nice drawing.
- Skin at the Cleveland Clinic.
- Healthy Skin at The American Skin Association.
See also: dermal, dermatosis, erythema, gangrene, urticaria.