Nicotine tests are used by employers and insurance companies to determine if a person uses tobacco products. The test can be done with urine or saliva and can detect recent tobacco use for up to four days. Some companies require testing before hiring or providing insurance coverage, and home testing kits are available. Saliva testing is preferred as it detects lower levels of nicotine and eliminates the need for urine handling. The purpose of the test is to assess the risk associated with tobacco use.
A nicotine test is a form of drug testing used by employers or insurance companies to determine whether a person is consuming tobacco products such as cigarettes. The nicotine test can be done with either urine or a saliva sample and works by measuring the chemical produced in the body when nicotine is introduced. It can detect recent use of all types of tobacco for approximately four days. These tests help employers and insurance companies determine the amount of possible risk involved in new employees.
Some employers and/or insurance companies require a person to take a nicotine test before being hired, while at work, or before taking out an insurance policy. Since larger companies typically provide some sort of health insurance, they may try to reduce costs by not hiring a tobacco user if permitted by law. Some even go so far as to require random tests for current employees. Most health insurers require you to pass a nicotine test before accepting coverage; some may deny tobacco users coverage altogether. Home nicotine testing kits are also available for purchase at several drug stores, allowing parents to test their children if they choose.
This test can be done with a urine or saliva sample and works by measuring the level of cotinine in the body. Cotinine is the chemical produced by the body when nicotine enters the bloodstream. Standard tests have a limit of 200 ng/ml, although the more advanced saliva test can register from zero to 2,000 ng/ml.
A standard test is done with a urine sample, and this test is the most common sold over the counter. A test strip is inserted into the sample for five minutes and will show the amount, if any, of cotinine present in the body. This type of test can record use in the past four days or more for habitual smokers.
The most accurate nicotine test is probably the saliva test. For this, a person must provide a saliva sample, which soaks into a test strip. The results are available to the tester after 20 minutes. This type of test is typically preferred by insurance companies and employers because it eliminates the need for urine handling. Saliva testing is also able to detect much lower levels of nicotine than urine testing, thus providing a more complete idea of how much tobacco a person uses.
The purpose of a nicotine test is usually to determine how much risk a person should take or cover. Those who use nicotine products are more likely to develop several health problems than those who don’t; they typically miss more days of work than non-tobacco users due to ordinary health problems, such as colds.
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