As nicotine has become a bigger health problem, a variety of tests have been created to detect its presence in the body. As these tests have become more common, they've moved out of the realm of the medical profession and may be available for use in the home, in schools, or even by employers, depending on the needs of the population.
Nicotine
The main, addictive component in cigarettes is a drug called nicotine. In larger quantities, nicotine is a deadly poison, but in small doses it can bring pleasurable feelings. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed into the body through the lungs. After roughly 72 hours, nicotine is metabolized, and it becomes a different compound called cotinine.
Cotinine
Cotinine is the compound into which the body metabolizes nicotine. While nicotine is detectable in the blood and urine for 72 hours, cotinine is able to be detected much longer. It is often cotinine that most tests will seek out, since it can determine if a person has been a smoker. This is true even if they haven't had a cigarette in the past three days, and there is no active presence of nicotine in their body.
At-Home Tests
Simple, urine tests can be purchased to test for cotinine in a person's waste. These tests are the most common type that are used at home because they're so simple.
Advanced Tests
While urine tests are the most common ways to test for the presence of cotinine, there are other samples that may be taken from a person's body and tested. Cotinine is present in a person's blood, as well as in their saliva and their hair. Any of these key areas may be sampled and then tested for the presence of the compound.
Use
These cotinine-based tests have become more common as the difficulties associated with cigarette smoking have become more immediate. These tests are used by insurance companies to classify smokers (as smokers pay higher insurance rates), as well as by parents and schools to test for the smoking habits of children. A further use is to test "nicotine-purging" drugs and programs to see if they truly eliminate nicotine, as well as the compounds it becomes, in the body.
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