Nicotine and Metabolites, Urine, Quantitative

Methodology: Quantitative Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Positive cutoff:
Nicotine                15 ng/mL
Cotinine                15 ng/mL
3-OH-Cotinine       50 ng/mL
Anabasine               5 ng/mL

For medical purposes only; not valid for forensic use.

This test is designed to evaluate recent use of nicotine-containing products. Passive and active exposure cannot be discriminated definitively, although a cutoff of 100 ng/mL cotinine is frequently used for surgery qualification purposes. For smoking cessation programs or compliance testing, the absence of expected drug(s) and/or drug metabolite(s) may indicate non-compliance, inappropriate timing of specimen collection relative to drug administration, poor drug absorption, diluted/adulterated urine, or limitations of testing. The concentration value must be greater than or equal to the cutoff to be reported as positive. Anabasine is included as a biomarker of tobacco use, versus nicotine replacement. Interpretive questions should be directed to the laboratory.

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by ARUP Laboratories. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This test was performed in a CLIA certified laboratory and is intended for clinical purposes.