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Two general methods are commonly used to evaluate the in vivo, percutaneous absorption of chemicals. These are the indirect excretion analysis method and the more direct method. Direct methods provide better estimates of absorption for chemicals which tend to be very slowly eliminated from the body and permit a more accurate indication of absorption during the periods immediately following dermal application of a test substance. The purpose of this paper is to describe a direct method used in the laboratory to study the in vivo percutaneous absorption of volatile materials. Hairless mice were chosen as the animal model for these studies. A direct approach to studying dermal absorption of volatile materials was made possibly by development of a skin-depot designed to capture the portion of test substances which would normally be lost by evaporation. The paper will describe and discuss the following: the skin-depot design and its application; the general experimental procedures; tests performed to determine the utility of the skin-depot; and a comparison of benzene and toluene data obtained using different methods., This article is from 'Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Environmental Toxicology (15th) Held in Dayton, Ohio on October 30, 31 and November 1, 1984,' AD-A178 248, p322-336.