Introduction/ objectives:

Solvents are toxic and omnipresent in several professional sectors, so it becomes relevant in some contexts to infer the respective internal dose. In addition to the work environment, some substances may be quantified in biological fluids. However, there is no abundant or robust literature on the subject.

The purpose of this paper was to summarize the most relevant and recent published data in this area.

Methodology:

This is a Integrative Review, initiated through a survey conducted in April 2019, in the databases "CINALH plus with full text, Medline with full text, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Methodology Register, Nursing and Allied Health Collection: comprehensive, MedicLatina, Academic Search Ultimate, Science Direct, Web of Science, SCOPUS and RCAAP.

Content:

The most well known biomarkers for Benzene are serum and urinary benzene, s-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA)/ mercapturic acid, trans, trans-muconic acid (t, t-MA), urinary tert-butyl methyl ether (MTBE) and hippuric acid (HA).

For Toluene, urinary and serum toluene, t,t-MA, HA, ortho-cresol, toluylmercapthuric acid (pTMA), benzylmercapturic acid (SBMA) and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) are commonly mentioned.

In the case of Xylene and Ethylbenzene, mandelic acid (MA), glyoxylic and methylhippuric acids (MHA) are sometimes used.

For acetone one study mentioned HA; Hexane may be evaluated by 2,5-hexanedione; Styrene by PGA and MA; Dichloropropane by 1,2-dichloropropane; Ethylene glycol via ethylene glycol monobutyl ether or butoxyacetic acid; Methanol by methanol itself; Heptane by 2-heptanone and Dimethylformamide by N-methylformamide.

Discussion and Conclusions:

Some of the documents selected were based on studies with small samples and with non-homogeneous exposure conditions (and/ or different control of possible bias variables), which may justify a lack of consensus on the results and which is the best. In addition, some biomarkers have been used for some time, while others are newer, usually with advantages and disadvantages in both. If some can be obtained in most laboratories, others require particular conditions that few institutions and/ or professionals have experience.

Nevertheless, the Occupational Health Teams should know briefly the existing techniques, in order to give the workers and employers the best possible service. It would also be pertinent to draw up robust studies that portray a little of the national reality.

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