Saliva as an analytical tool to measure occupational exposure to toluene.

Objective To describe a sensitive and rapid method for the determination of toluene in saliva. Biomonitoring of toluene exposure is commonly performed by determination of urinary hippuric acid, o-cresol or toluene itself. The analysis of blood toluene has been verified as another method for biomonitoring. However, drawing blood is invasive and can often not be performed at the workplace for hygienic reasons. Sampling of saliva may be non-invasive, easy to perform and a viable alternative for biomonitoring in the workplace.