Click here for a larger image
Click here for a larger image
/Click here forTobacAlert Questions and answers
What is TobacAlert?
TobacAlert™ is a home test that provides you with a quick,
accurate, on-the-spot determination of a person’s level of exposure to tobacco
products including second hand smoke. It is not intended for medical use.
TobacAlert™ is an easy to use, fast and accurate urine test
strip. It can detect exposure to second hand smoke and the use of
cigarettes,
pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco.
TobacAlert™ measures levels of cotinine, a byproduct of the
body’s breakdown of nicotine, the active ingredient found in tobacco products and
tobacco smoke. Cotinine is a widely accepted indicator of recent tobacco product use and
exposure, including second hand smoke exposure.
Primary Uses
Detection of recent
second hand smoke exposure. Potential users
include parents of young children, workers in a smoky workplace and other persons
concerned about the harmful effects of second hand smoke.
Detection, verification and monitoring of tobacco use status. Potential users include
smokers
trying to quit, parents worried about whether a teenaged child
may be smoking,
coaches, insurance companies and smoking cessation counsellors.
NOTE: TobacAlert™
is for non-medical use.
TobacAlert™
is not intended to diagnose treat or prevent any disease or medical
condition.
How it works
The end of the
TobacAlert™ strip contains gold particles
coated with an antibody that selectively binds to cotinine in the urine. After the end of
the strip is dipped in urine, the gold particles migrate through specialized
“traps” in the strip. The more cotinine bound to a gold particle, the further it
is able to migrate along the strip. The reddish bands seen on the developed strip
correspond to gold particles caught in a particular trap.
TobacAlert™
is extremely sensitive and can measure amounts as low as 6 nanograms of cotinine per
milliliter of urine (6 billionths of a gram in one fifth of a teaspoon).
Saliva vs. Urine Cotinine Testing With TobacAlert
TobacAlert can be used to test the level of cotinine, a by-product of the body's breakdown of nicotine, in urine and saliva. Nicotine is the active ingredient found in tobacco products and tobacco use and exposure, including second hand smoke exposure.
TobacAlert Saliva vs. TobacAlert Urine Both tests:
1. Provide quick, accurate, on-the-spot determination of an individual's smoking status.
2. Measure the use of cigarettes, pipes, cigars and other tobacco products.
3. Measure nictotine intake from nicotine replacement sources such as patch, gum and lozenge.
4. Have been used medically and in research programs.
5. Can provide a positive incentive to people trying to quit or reduce tobacco intake by watching their levels drop
The urine test is ideal for lower levels of nicotine exposure and is sensitive enough to determine second hand smoke exposure. A reading of 1 typiclly points towards some passive smoke exposure. a reading of 2 indicates considerable passive exposure. A reading of 3 is normally the cut-off for determining if the subject is a smoker. Testing urine is also preferable for chewing tobacco studies.
The saliva test is suitable for situations where taking a urine sample is impractical or where the subject is a heavy user of tobacco products. A level of 1 typiclly indicates a smoker; so it is not suitable for examing second hand smoke exposure.
Testing Cotinine in Saliva vs. Urine
Some metabolites like cotine, become concentrated in urine, compared to levels found in saliva. Beacause of this, a readin g of 1 (6-30 ng/ml) for example, would normally indicate far more nicotine exposure if read from the saliva test, than from the urine test.
There is no fixed ratio of nicotine exposure when compairing urine to saliva readings (unless both tests have been performed on the same subject at the same time). The ratio of cotinine in saliva, to that found in urine could vary between individuals, gender, or the time that has been passed since the nicotine was ingested.
|
