Headspace (HS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) were studied for extracting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from whole blood, with chemical and instrumental variables being optimized for maximum sensitivity: incubation at $60^{circ}C$, equilibration for 30 min, pH 11, and 2 mL injection volume. Both techniques provided accurate analyses, with detection limits of 0.05-0.1 ng $mL^{-1}$ and 0.05-0.5 ng $mL^{-1}$. HS showed better sensitivity, reproducibility, and analysis times than HS-SPME. Overall levels of chloroform in whole blood were found to be 0.05-5.84 ng $mL^{-1}$; detected levels of benzene were 0.05-2.20 ng $mL^{-1}$.