One Step Cotinine/ Nicotine Urine Test Strip
What Is Cotinine?
Nicotine or its metabolite cotinine are most often tested to evaluate tobacco use.
Long-term use of tobacco products can increase the risk of developing many diseases including lung cancer, COPD, stroke, heart disease, and respiratory infections. It can also worsen asthma and blood clot formation. In pregnant women, smoking can affect foetal growth and lead to low birth weight babies.
Effects of Nicotine on the Body
In high concentrations (30-60mg), nicotine is neurotoxic, deterrent to insects and lethal to humans. On the other hand, in smaller doses (1mg in every cigarette stick), it acts as a stimulant.
Affecting mostly the nervous system, nicotine decreases the appetite, boosts mood, relieves depression, enhances brain activity, and improves cognition and memory. However, it also stimulates intestinal motility, increases salivation, increases both the heart rate and blood pressure, and may even cause nausea and vomiting.
Why do I need this test?
Because the use of tobacco products can greatly affect the health of individuals, companies may use nicotine/cotinine testing to evaluate prospective employees for tobacco use. Some health and life insurance companies test applicants for nicotine or cotinine as well.
How is Cotinine measured?
Nicotine and cotinine can be measured qualitatively (test to see if present or absent) or quantitatively (measurement of the actual concentration). Quantitative testing can help distinguish between active smokers, tobacco users who have recently quit, non-tobacco-users who have been exposed to significant environmental tobacco smoke, and non-users who have not been exposed.
How Long Does Nicotine Stay in your System?
When inhaled, nicotine is converted into cotinine, which together with the body's waste products it is excreted in the urine. In detecting nicotine and its metabolites in the body, levels remain detectable in the urine only for 3 to 4 days.
However, this may be different for some cases. For passive smokers, urine nicotine test can be positive for as long as 15 to 20 days. Cotinine may also take longer to be excreted with wastes if menthol cigarettes are used.
Test Sensitivity
The COT One Step Cotinine Test Strip yields a positive result when the Cotinine in urine exceeds 200ng/ml.
Our drug test sensitivities comply with the The European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS) guidelines.