Serum cotinine as a measure of tobacco smoke exposure in children
To document passive smoke exposure, the authors measured concentrations of serum cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, in 38 young children and compared the results with the smoking histories of home residents. Cotinine was detected in 26 children (68%), of which ten had no household exposure according to a questionnaire. The serum cotinine concentration was significantly elevated in blacks compared with whites after controlling for the number of smokers in the home. After stratifying by race, there was a significant direct correlation between the serum cotinine concentration and the number of smokers in the home, the amount smoked by the mother, and the amount smoked by others in the home. We conclude that the serum cotinine concentration is a useful indicator of the actual exposure of young children to tobacco smoke and that unexplained racial differences in cotinine levels exist.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
- OSTI ID:
- 6185207
- Journal Information:
- Am. J. Dis. Child.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Dis. Child.; (United States) Vol. 11; ISSN AJDCA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Environmental tobacco smoke and canine urinary cotinine level
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke measured by cotinine sup 125 I-radioimmunoassay
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AGE GROUPS
ALKALOIDS
AMINES
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AZINES
AZOLES
BLACK AMERICANS
BLOOD CHEMISTRY
CHILDREN
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DRUGS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
METABOLITES
MINORITY GROUPS
NICOTINE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PARASYMPATHOLYTICS
PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS
POPULATIONS
PYRIDINES
PYRROLES
PYRROLIDINES
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
TOBACCO SMOKES