A simple near-patient test for nicotine and its metabolites in urine to assess smoking habit

We describe a disposable, near-patient urine test to monitor cigarette smoking. A plastic device contains the sealed dried reagents to measure nicotine and its metabolites by a colorimetric assay. The device can be used to give a qualitative assessment of tobacco consumption, simply by observing a c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinica chimica acta 1996-12, Vol.256 (2), p.135-149
Main Authors: Cope, Graham, Nayyar, Pamela, Holder, Roger, Gibbons, John, Bunce, Roger
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chromatography, Gas - standards
Cigarette smoking
Cotinine - standards
Cotinine - urine
Disposable Equipment
Disposable test
Humans
Nicotine - analogs & derivatives
Nicotine - metabolism
Nicotine - urine
Nicotine metabolites
Reagent Kits, Diagnostic - standards
Smoking - psychology
Smoking - urine
Urine
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Summary:We describe a disposable, near-patient urine test to monitor cigarette smoking. A plastic device contains the sealed dried reagents to measure nicotine and its metabolites by a colorimetric assay. The device can be used to give a qualitative assessment of tobacco consumption, simply by observing a colour change. Alternatively, the test can be quantified by measuring the light absorbance with a simple colorimeter, and a concentration of nicotinic metabolites obtained with reference to a cotinine standard. A correction factor for the concentration of the urine sample, based on light absorbance, allows the result to be expressed as a ratio to urine concentration. This method correlates with reported daily cigarette consumption (r = 0.69, p < 0.0001) and compares favourably with cotinine, as measured by gas chromatography (r = 0.89, p < 0.001). The method provides a simple-to-use, inexpensive way of monitoring tobacco consumption in extralaboratory situations.
ISSN:0009-8981
1873-3492
DOI:10.1016/S0009-8981(96)06417-0