A thin-layer chromatographic method is described for the determination of mandelic and phenyglyoxillic acid on silicagel (Silufol UV 254) after extraction from urine of styrene exposed workers. The quantitative determination was performed after eluting the spots. Phenylglyoxilic acid was measured at 255 nm and mandelic acid by derivative spectroscopically estimation of the .CH(OH).COOH -chromophore at 217 nm or by a three-wavelength mode, respectively. The recovery in urine was 80-104% for phenylglyoxilic acid and 99-105% for mandelic acid.