title: Urinary nicotine and its metabolites as a biomarker of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
abstract: The validity of urinary nicotine and its metabolites as a biomarker of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been investigated. After exposure to ETS, urine samples were collected from 10 subjects for the analyses of nicotine, cotinine and 3'-hydroxycotinine. The former two chemicals were detected in the urine of all subjects, and 3'-hydroxycotinine was detected in the urine of 9 subjects out of 10, indicating these three chemicals can be used as a biomarker of ETS exposure. 3'-Hydroxycotinine was not detected in the urine of one subject, suggesting that this subject may be a poor metabolizer of nicotine. In 9 subjects with 3'-hydroxycotinine excreted, the amounts of nicotine and cotinine started to increase after exposure, reached the peak at the end of the second exposure and decreased gradually. 3'-Hydroxycotinine started to be excreted into urine from 3 hours after exposure and kept the same level until 72 hours after exposure. In the urine of 72 hours after exposure, the amount of 3'-hydroxycotinine was the highest among these three chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Management II, School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arashidani
authors.forename: Wakana
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kunugita
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine*; D003367:Cotinine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D013997:Time Factors; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; C001381:hydroxycotinine; D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine