Evaluation of a cleanser for petroleum-contaminated skin.
BACKGROUND
Extremity injuries contaminated with petroleum products pose clinical dilemmas. This project was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DS) solution for cleansing petroleum-contaminated skin.


METHODS
One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a contamination protocol followed by a cleansing procedure. Four petroleum contaminants and five cleansing solutions were selected. The protocol consisted of shaving, initial punch biopsy, contamination, precleansing punch biopsy, standardized scrub protocol, and postcleansing punch biopsy. Biopsy samples were analyzed for petroleum residue using fluorometry.


RESULTS
The 10% DS solution had the highest reduction of crude oil, grease, and tar: 99.6 +/- 0.4% (mean +/- SD) contaminant reduction for crude oil, 99.8 +/- 0.2% for grease, and 99.8 +/- 0.2% for tar. The other cleansers showed less efficacy (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Concentrated DS appears to be significantly more effective at cleaning petroleum products from skin than the commonly chosen surgical and commercial cleansers.
Phieffer
Laura S
LS
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina 28232, USA.
Banks
David M
DM
Bosse
Michael J
MJ
Meyer
Martha H
MH
Meyer
Ralph A
RA
Smith
Kevin
K
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods*; D004143:Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid / Q000592:standards*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D023421:Models, Animal; D010578:Petroleum; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000592:standards*; D013638:Tars
D010578:Petroleum; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D013638:Tars; D004143:Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid