Nicotine is an alkaline chemical found in tobacco products that is addictive and poisonous in large quantities. Cotinine is the main substance produced when the body breaks down nicotine and is a good measure of how much nicotine a person has had. A cotinine test can confirm nicotine use or exposure and can be helpful in measuring progress in quitting smoking or checking for nicotine poisoning. Non-smokers should not have cotinine in their system unless they are exposed to secondhand smoke or nicotine in pesticides.
The difference between nicotine and cotinine is that nicotine is an alkaline chemical and cotinine is the major metabolite of nicotine. In other words, the body breaks down nicotine and cotinine is the main substance, among more than 20 substances, produced as a result. Nicotine use, or exposure to it, increases the concentration of both nicotine and cotinine in the body. This relationship between nicotine and cotinine allows for tests that will confirm nicotine use or exposure. This measurement is possible by carrying out a cotinine test.
Nicotine itself is found in tobacco products such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and nicotine patches or gum. It is an addictive substance and is poisonous in large quantities. In addition to addiction, some of the other substances in tobacco products, such as carbon monoxide or tar, are dangerous to the body and can lead to medical conditions such as emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease. Additionally, studies suggest that there may be a connection between nicotine and anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. As a drug, nicotine can help tobacco users quit smoking by reducing the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine addiction.
Cotinine is not a dangerous substance. Because it only comes from metabolized nicotine, the amount of cotinine found in the body is a good measure of how much nicotine a person has had in their body as a result of inhaling or exposure to tobacco. Non-smokers should not have cotinine in their system, unless they are breathing in the smoke of other people’s tobacco use. In some cases, however, a non-smoker may have cotinine in their system due to exposure to the nicotine found in pesticides. The amount of cotinine in tobacco users varies individually, as the measurement depends on several factors, including what a person smokes, how much they smoke, and how long ago they smoked.
Some people, whether they smoke or not, may need or want to take a cotinine test. Even after nicotine is gone, this test can still provide a measurement of cotinine because cotinine takes longer to leave the body. A cotinine test can be helpful in a number of ways. In addition to ascertaining the amount of tobacco in a person’s system, it can confirm secondhand smoke, measure a person’s progress in quitting smoking, or check for nicotine poisoning. A cotinine test itself involves giving a blood or urine sample, although sometimes the test is done with a hair sample or a saliva sample.
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