DNA adducts resulting from carcinogenic chemicals are becoming more frequently used as a powerful biomarker to determine the extent of exposure. The available techniques for determination of bulky DNA adducts can be classified into four major groups, these being immunological assay, fluorescence techniques, chromatography/m ass spectrom etry and the ³²P-postlabelling technique. In this review, the features of current techniques and the combined applications are summarized and compared. Among the available techniques, the ³²P-postlabelling assay seems to best meet the application criteria overall. In particular, ³²P-postlabelling is the most suitable technique for the detection of bulky DNA adducts induced by unknown environmental and occupational chemicals or m ixtures.