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Abstract
Saliva and “sputum” samples were collected from asbestos and pesticide workers and from normal persons, both smokers and nonsmokers. The levels of thiocyanate in saliva (micrograms per milliliter ± SE) were as follows: Asbestos workers, 32.0 ± 4.0 (nonsmokers), 185.8 ± 18.7 (smokers); pesticide workers, 38.8 ± 5.5 (nonsmokers), 133.5 ± 15.3 (smokers). Because of fluctuations in the daily excretion of salivary thiocyanate, the values for both smokers and nonsmokers in normal persons do not provide a satisfactory control for the industrial groups. True sputum obtained by bronchoscopy from smokers and nonsmokers was eventually shown to be free of thiocyanate. This was confirmed by the analysis of authentic sputum samples obtained from persons at postmortem examination.
