Breath analysis: trends in techniques and clinical applications

Over the last few years, breath analysis for the routine monitoring either of metabolic disorders caused by specific diseases or occupational exposure to toxic substances has become more and more attractive due to its noninvasiveness. Several approaches have been proposed for sample collection, treatment, and analysis. This paper gives a critical overview of the analytical devices and procedures used for breath analysis. Results on the identification of chemicals in human breath for a selection of diseases are discussed.