At a Glance Why Get Tested? To detect the presence of and/or
measure the quantity of nicotine or cotinine in blood, urine,
saliva, or sometimes hair; to determine whether someone uses
tobacco or has been exposed to secondhand smoke; sometimes
performed to evaluate for acute nicotine poisoning When to Get
Tested? Whenever someone requires confirmation of tobacco usage
or exposure to secondhand smoke; occasionally when nicotine
overdose is suspected A blood sample collected from a vein in
your arm or a random urine sample; sometimes a saliva sample or,
rarely, a hair sample Test Preparation Needed? The Test Sample
What is being tested? Nicotine is an addictive alkaline chemical
found in the tobacco plant and concentrated in its leaves. It is
inhaled with each puff on a cigarette and ingested with chewing
tobacco. Nicotine is metabolized by the liver into more than 20
compounds, which are excreted by the kidneys into the urine.
Both tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke can increase
nicotine and its primary