[Simple test for the tentative evaluation of occupational exposure to phenol]

A simple method for determining phenol in the saliva to evaluate exposure using a reaction with 2,6-dibromoquinono-4-chloroimide has been described. This test is performed on a tissue paper disk, Whatmann No 1, with speckled and dried alcohol solution of the mentioned compound. 0.1 cm3 of the saliva is spread on the filter. Under the effect of ammonia, phenol in the saliva results in a blue colouring of the tissue paper. The colour intensity is proportional to phenol concentration in the saliva. The pink and bright violet is indicative of a negative result. The results of phenol determination in the saliva by a semiquantitative method have been found to be concordant with the analysis of urine samples in the same phenol-exposed persons.