Which formulation is most easily absorbed if spilled onto the skin?

• A. WDG
• B. EC
• C. G
• D. WSB

Answer: (B)

When a pesticide spills on skin, absorption depends on how the active ingredient is carried into the skin. Liquid formulations that use organic solvents and surfactants can disrupt the outer skin layers and keep the active ingredient dissolved, allowing it to diffuse into deeper skin layers more readily. An emulsifiable concentrate is such a liquid formulation: the solvents soften or dissolve the lipids in the skin and the surfactants help the active ingredient spread and penetrate.

Dry forms like granules or powders (and even water-dispersible granules) stay on the surface or must first dissolve in sweat or moisture, which slows entry. So the emulsifiable concentrate is the formulation most easily absorbed if spilled onto the skin.