Nicotine Testing: Methods and Detection in Biological Systems

Nicotine use, while legal for adults over the age of 18, is quickly becoming a societal taboo. Employers are allowed to determine whether or not to hire a candidate based on their use of tobacco, health insurance companies are permitted to charge tobacco users higher premiums and schools sometimes test students for tobacco use. Gone are the days when tobacco use was easy to suspect but difficult to prove. Several tests now provide the capability to definitively test for tobacco use.

Things You'll Need

• Nicotine test kit

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Instructions

• 1

  Perform a urine test. While nicotine disappears quickly from the body, a by-product of its use called cotinine is detectable in the urine for approximately four days after the last cigarette is smoked. You perform a urine test just as a pregnancy test or a drug test is done. Simply place a fresh sample of urine on a chemically treated absorbent test product, and read the results after a specified amount of time.

• 2

  Perform a blood test. Have a trained professional do this type of test. Cotinine levels in the blood are lower than those found in urine, but it stays in the bloodstream longer. Results will appear for up to three weeks after the last use of nicotine.

• 3

  Perform a saliva test. This test is done like a DNA test, by swabbing the inside of the cheek for a saliva sample. Cotinine is detectable in saliva for approximately seven to 10 days from use of nicotine.

• 4

  Cotinine can be detected in the hair for several months or years.

  Perform a hair sampling test. Cotinine, like other drugs, is detectable in the hair. This test must be performed in a laboratory. Cotinine is detectable in the hair follicle for months or even years, depending on the length of the hair.