Validation of self-reported smoking by analysis of hair for nicotine and cotinine.

Evidence suggesting the use of self-reports as an index of systemic exposure to cigarette smoke in selected study populations is highly inaccurate. In order to assess the use of hair analysis as a biochemical marker of cigarette smoking, we compared measurements of nicotine and cotinine in the hair and plasma of 36 volunteers whose reports of smoking were deemed to be reliable. A significant correlation was observed between the number of cigarettes smoked and hair measurements of nicotine (r = 0.48, p = 0.004) and cotinine (r = 0.57, p = 0.0008). In addition, a good correlation was found between the reported number of cigarettes smoked and plasma nicotine, plasma cotinine, and carboxyhemoglobin levels. These results suggest that hair analysis is a reliable noninvasive method of determining human exposure to cigarette smoke and is comparable to blood analysis.

[1]  E. Vesell,et al.  Metabolism of nicotine. , 1991, Drug metabolism reviews.

[2]  G. Koren,et al.  Hair Concentrations of Nicotine and Cotinine in Women and Their Newborn Infants , 1994 .

[3]  H. Tunstall-Pedoe,et al.  Comparison of tests used to distinguish smokers from nonsmokers. , 1987, American journal of public health.

[4]  N. Haley,et al.  Validation of self-reported smoking behavior: biochemical analyses of cotinine and thiocyanate. , 1983, American journal of public health.

[5]  T. Uematsu,et al.  Analysis of Nicotine Content of Hair for Assessing Individual Cigarette‐Smoking Behavior , 1993, Therapeutic drug monitoring.

[6]  G. L. Henderson.  Mechanisms of drug incorporation into hair. , 1993, Forensic science international.

[7]  G. Burke,et al.  Misclassification of smoking status in the CARDIA study: a comparison of self-report with serum cotinine levels. , 1992, American journal of public health.

[8]  N. Benowitz.  Drug therapy. Pharmacologic aspects of cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction. , 1988, The New England journal of medicine.

[9]  E. Wynder,et al.  Cigarette smoking: carboxyhemoglobin, plasma nicotine, cotinine and thiocyanate vs self-reported smoking data and cardiovascular disease. , 1983, Journal of chronic diseases.

[10]  N. Haley,et al.  Analysis for nicotine and cotinine in hair to determine cigarette smoker status. , 1985, Clinical chemistry.

[11]  J. Carbonari,et al.  Improving disclosure of smoking by pregnant women. , 1991, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[12]  Werner A. Baumgartner,et al.  HAIR ANALYSIS FOR DRUGS OF ABUSE , 1989 .

[13]  G. Koren,et al.  Determinants of recall and recall bias in studying drug and chemical exposure in pregnancy. , 1989, Teratology.

[14]  J. Kendrick,et al.  Smoking before, during, and after pregnancy. , 1990, American journal of public health.

[15]  F. Voorhorst,et al.  Assessment of tobacco-exposure during pregnancy; behavioural and biochemical changes. , 1991, European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology.

[16]  J. J. Langone,et al.  Nicotine and its metabolites. Radioimmunoassays for nicotine and cotinine. , 1973, Biochemistry.

[17]  P. Mangin,et al.  Evaluation of nicotine and cotinine in human hair. , 1992, Journal of forensic sciences.

[18]  R. Etzel.  A review of the use of saliva cotinine as a marker of tobacco smoke exposure. , 1990, Preventive medicine.

[19]  R. Herning,et al.  How a cigarette is smoked determines blood nicotine levels , 1983, Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.