Acute skin toxicity reactions in man--tests and mechanisms.

There is increasing concern to avoid toxicity reactions from materials that come into contact with the skin. In this paper the mechanisms underlying the commonest type of cutaneous toxicity, i.e. the dermatitis reaction, are discussed. The various tests that may be used to predict human cutaneous toxicity are reviewed, with emphasis on in vivo human toxicity tests. It is concluded that preliminary testing of potentially toxic materials should be conducted in vitro or, until such tests are available, in small mammals, but that definitive tests of finished products should be performed in vivo in man.