Do you have your eyes on a new job? Are you seeking health or life insurance? You might be tested for drugs, including nicotine. It is becoming more common for employers to hire employees that are non-smokers. In certain locations, you might not get the job if you have a nicotine habit and it is legal to not employ you on this basis.
What Is Being Tested?
The addictive chemical found in the leaves of the tobacco plant is known as Nicotine. When tobacco is smoked or chewed, nicotine is taken into the body. Once in the bloodstream the chemical is metabolised into over 20 different compounds which are eventually removed in urine by the kidneys.
The main metabolite, or breakdown product, of nicotine is known as cotinine. As well as through smoking, levels of nicotine and cotinine are increased in the body when you are trying to give up. Often nicotine replacement products will contain these chemicals in gums, patches and e-cigarette liquids.
The presence of Cotinine in the body is a reliable indication of tobacco use or exposure. The half life of Cotinine in the body is normally somewhere between 7 and 40 hours. Nicotine, on the other hand, is no longer detectable after only 4 hours.
The nicotine in cigars, chewing tobacco, cigars, pipes and snuff is very addictive. Most people are unaware that nicotine has been also found in vapes and e-cigarettes. In the UK, it is illegal to sell products containing tobacco to those less than 18 years old. (Some MPs have lobbied to increase this to the age of 21)
Nicotine Drug Test Kits
Drug test kits detect the component parts such as cotinine when your body breaks down nicotine. Cotinine only appears in the body if you have ingested nicotine and it lingers in the body, even after you have stopped using nicotine.
If you are being drug tested at work, you should be aware of your rights as an employee. In the UK an employer cannot discriminate against an employee if they are a smoker, however in may be in your best interests to consider stopping smoking.
- Urine: Up to four days
- Blood: Up to four days
- Saliva: Up to four days
- Hair: Up to 90 days
Urine
Urine tests are among the most common methods for detecting nicotine and its metabolites like cotinine. However, the detection window can vary considerably based on your smoking habits. For casual or infrequent smokers, nicotine may only show up in urine for up to 4 days after the last exposure. But for heavy or daily smokers, the nicotine byproducts can linger much longer – sometimes up to 3 weeks! Imagine trying to explain that to a potential employer during a pre-hiring screening. The key factors determining how long nicotine lingers are your body mass index, hydration levels, and frequency of use. If you’ve been a pack-a-day smoker for years, expect those nicotine metabolites to stick around a lot longer than a social smoker.
Blood
While urine tests are more prevalent, blood tests can also detect nicotine usage with a high degree of accuracy. The nicotine itself is only traceable in your bloodstream for around 1-3 days after smoking. But the real telltale sign is cotinine, a metabolic byproduct that can be identified for up to 10 days from a single blood sample! Talk about a smoking gun (no pun intended). Blood tests are less commonly used in workplace screenings simply due to the invasive nature of drawing blood compared to collecting a urine or saliva sample. However, if you’re in a profession where impairment can have serious consequences like aviation or operating heavy machinery, bloodwork may be mandated to ensure public safety.
Saliva
Oral fluid or saliva tests are another convenient method for nicotine screening these days. Much like blood, you can expect nicotine itself to only be detectable for around 4 days in your saliva after smoking. But that pesky cotinine metabolite can linger for just as long, serving as a reliable biomarker even if you “zipped the lip” on your nicotine habit. The sample collection is about as easy as it gets – just a simple mouth swab from the trained technician. No invasive needles or private bathroom stalls required! The only slight hang-up with saliva is if you have dry mouth or other salivary issues that could impact the sample quality. But overall, it’s a clean, discreet way to check for recent nicotine exposure.
Hair
Out of all the nicotine testing methods, hair analysis provides the longest look back into your nicotine habits – up to 90 days or about 3 months’ worth! That’s because metabolites like cotinine get incorporated into the hair shaft as it grows, leaving a literal paper trail (or should I say “hair trail?”) of your nicotine use over time. While more expensive than urine or saliva tests, hair testing is hard to bias since it relies on a permanent sample that can’t be easily adulterated. The downside is waiting up to 5 days for lab results and the slightly intrusive sample collection involving cutting a small lock of your hair. But if discretion and detection window are priorities, hair testing may be your most comprehensive option to prove whether you’ve truly been nic-free for an extended period.
How Quickly Do You Feel The Effects Of Nicotine?
It only takes 20 seconds for the effects of nicotine to reach the brain when it is smoked and seeps into the bloodstream. Although users feel relaxed after smoking, nicotine is actually a stimulant and directly affects the central nervous system.
The way the nicotine is administered will determine how it impacts the body. Snorting or chewing products with nicotine results in more nicotine released into the body compared to smoking.
Users experience an adrenaline rush once they ingest nicotine, which acts as a stimulant in the body. This could result in a spike in heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine also increases dopamine, a brain chemical that increases feelings of pleasure and overall mood.
How Long Does Nicotine Affect The Body?
The half-life of nicotine is around 2 hours. The length of time it takes to eliminate half of the nicotine dose from your system is the half-life.
As nicotine or other tobacco products are ingested via smoking, most of it is absorbed into the system via the lungs. It is also absorbed via the mouth and throat membranes, but this isn’t as common. When you chew nicotine gum or tobacco, use patches or lozenges, nicotine is absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract or skin.
The liver metabolizes most of the nicotine; however, the kidneys and lungs also metabolize some of it. The kidneys excrete traces of nicotine by way of urine. Nicotine also appears in the faeces, hair and saliva.
The enzymes in the liver metabolize nicotine and break it down into metabolites like cotinine. Instead of looking for nicotine itself, nicotine tests focus on finding cotinine. There are a number of tests that are used for detecting nicotine in the body.
Detection Time Is Affected By The Following Factors
The length of time that nicotine is detectable in the system depends on the kind of test being administered. Factors that affect the speed in which your system handles nicotine include:
- Age: As you age, excreting nicotine becomes increasingly difficult.
- Body mass: Nicotine will stay in your body longer if you have increased body fat since fatty tissue stores nicotine.
- Hydration level: Water consumption accelerates nicotine secretion.
- Level of physical activity: Those who have a higher metabolism and are more active physically tend to excrete nicotine quicker.
- Type, frequency, and history of use: The system accumulates nicotine, therefore the more you ingest, the longer it takes your body to eliminate it.
Photo: “Smoking” by Anthony Cunningham for Zoom Testing
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
