A review of the USEPA's single breath canister (SBC) method for exhaled volatile organic biomarkers.
Exhaled alveolar breath can provide a great deal of information about an individual's health and previous exposure to potentially harmful xenobiotic materials. Because breath can be obtained non-invasively and its constituents directly reflect concentrations in the blood, its use has many potential applications in the field of biomarker research. This paper reviews the utility and application of the single breath canister (SBC) method of alveolar breath collection and analysis first developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the 1990s. This review covers the development of the SBC technique in the laboratory and its application in a range of field studies. Together these studies specifically show how the SBC method (and exhaled breath analysis in general) can be used to clearly demonstrate recent exposure to volatile organic compounds, to link particular activities to specific exposures, to determine compound-specific uptake and elimination kinetics, and to assess the relative importance of various routes of exposure (i.e. dermal, ingestion, inhalation) in multi-pathway scenarios. Specific investigations covered in this overview include an assessment of exposures related to the residential use of contaminated groundwater, exposures to gasoline and fuel additives at self-service gas stations, swimmers' exposures to trihalomethanes, and occupational exposures to jet fuel.
National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, MD-44, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA. lindstrom.andrew@epa.gov
Andrew B
AB
Lindstrom
Joachim D
JD
Pleil
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014835:Volatilization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical