Abstract
Although exhaled breath analysis for diagnosing human health is a concept that dates to antiquity, the application of modern analytical and collection techniques to exhaled breath analysis has rapidly evolved the field. Distinct phases of breath, including breath gas, condensate, and aerosols have been defined in the literature. Although traditionally used for clinical diagnostics, breath analysis has significant applications in evaluating occupational and environmental exposures. Breath analysis can reveal exposure compounds and their metabolites as well as biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation. As this field grows, new developments in exposure monitoring have implications for informing policy, best practices, and remediation to help reduce occupational and environmental exposures. This review aims to guide prospective research in breath analysis for exposure monitoring by summarizing current techniques and analytes of interest in a variety of occupational and environmental contexts, while highlighting knowledge gaps to be addressed.
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•Exhaled breath analysis presents a non-invasive way of evaluating exposure.•Exhaled breath is composed of three phases: breath gas, condensate, and aerosols.•Volatile, non-volatile, and particulate analytes have been found in breath phases.•Inflammatory markers, environmental toxins, and metabolites are found in breath.•This review aims to inform future breath analysis studies for exposure evaluation.