Toxicokinetics of toluene in occupationally exposed volunteers.

The influence on the kinetics of toluene from long-term occupational exposure, cigarette smoking, and ethanol consumption was studied in 26 male spray painters. A group of spray painters with reported subjective symptoms such as concentration deficits, fatigue, and dizziness due to the solvent exposure did not differ in the uptake and disposition of toluene from a group of spray painters with no symptoms. In occupationally exposed workers, a tendency for an enhanced clearance of toluene from the blood was observed in relation to personal habits such as smoking and/or moderate chronic ethanol intake. Long-term occupational exposure to a mixture of organic solvents does not exert any effect on the metabolic rate of toluene as compared with that of an unexposed group.