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Smoking and Tobacco

Nicotine

03/17/2006

Question:

how long will nicotine (dip) last in the blood system of a person who has 1 tin every 1-2 months

Answer:

One tin of tobacco=the nicotine of approximately 60 cigarettes. Cotinine is the active ingredient (metabolite) of nicotine that is measured.

According to Dr. Mary Ellen Wewers

"Nicotine has a short half-life (2-4 hours) so often it is not detectable after 24 hours. Cotinine, its major metabolite, has a half-life of 16-19 hours so it usually is detectable for 4-7 days, depending upon amount of consumption."

It is hard to answer your question; it definitely depends on the amount of nicotine in the tobacco product, how much is used, and when it was last used. Cotinine can be detected in the blood, urine, and saliva as well. You can find more information on Cotinine at the links below.

Related Resources:

Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
Foundation for Blood Research
Centers for Disease Control

For more information:

Go to the Smoking and Tobacco health topic, where you can:

Response by:

Kathy Vesha, RN, BSN, MA
Formerly:
Kick It!
The James
The Ohio State University

Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH
Professor of Health Behaviors & Health Promotion
College of Public Health
The Ohio State University