Abstract
A simple and rapid method for the determination of benzene and toluene in whole blood by headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) is described. Using SPME fibres coated with 65 μm carboxene/polydimethylsiloxane, limits of quantification (LOQ) of 5 ng/L for benzene and 25 ng/L for toluene are achieved. As a result of its large linear range (i.e. 5–5000 ng/L for benzene) the method is suitable for biomonitoring of both occupationally and environmentally exposed people. The reproducibility of the determination of benzene is ≤ 8%. An interlaboratory comparison demonstrated that the method proposed here compares favorably with existing methods (dynamic headspace, purge and trap).
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 9 February 1998 / Revised: 6 July 1998 / Accepted: 18 July 1998
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schimming, E., Levsen, K., Köhme, C. et al. Biomonitoring of benzene and toluene in human blood by headspace-solid-phase microextraction. Fresenius J Anal Chem 363, 88–91 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051143
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051143