title: Method validation for measurement of hair nicotine level in nonsmokers.
abstract: The development of strategies to address the growing worldwide burden of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) would be facilitated by sensitive and accurate methods for assessing SHS exposure. Hair provides a readily available matrix for assessing biomarkers of typical SHS exposure. We developed and applied an optimized analytical method using an isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for hair nicotine measurement. The utility of this optimized method is illustrated by presenting data on SHS exposure of women and children from 31 countries. Using this isotope dilution method with spiked samples (3.3 ng/mg), we found that the greatest hair nicotine extraction efficiency was obtained with a 60 min shaking time. In the field study (n = 2400), a positive association was evident between hair nicotine concentrations from nonsmokers and higher numbers of cigarettes smoked per day in a household.
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. srkim@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Sung Roul
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wipfli
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Avila-Tang
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Samet
authors.forename: Patrick N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Breysse
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004986:Ether / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008752:Methylene Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D009035:Mothers; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D004986:Ether; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D009538:Nicotine