Answers
I have a friend who just quite smoking and he wants to know how long he should wait before he goes to get life insurance (to get the physical exam). He would like to wait until there is no more (detectable) nicotine in his system. How long should he wait to get underwriting?
The actual enzyme that is detected (by a blood test) that reveals the prescence of nicotine in the system is called cotinine and is detectable for between 7-10 days after the tobacco product was smoked.
The person makes a good point above in that the life insurance company will deny the claim if he is a smoker anyway so he would be paying non-smoker rates for nothing.
Additionally, tell your friend to have an ounce of personal integrity and refrain from cheating the company or more importantly, the policy holders like you and I whose premium rates are based on not having people defraud the insurer we deal with.
The latest Food Safety Nightmare: Nicotine The European Food Safety Authority discovered the presence of highly detectable nicotine levels in ...
They can detect if you have been smoking cigarettes for almost 30 days after you stopped smoking if you smoked on a regular basis.
I recently quit smoking but I have a job interview coming up with a company that is smoke-free and do not hire smokers. So of course they test you for it. I wanted to find out if anyone knew how long nicotine stays in your system after you quit and how long is it detectable? I would appreciate any help with this.
An infrequent user would be in there system for 2-3 days but if you use it daily it could be from 7-14 days!
No knowledge on what you can do to speed the metabolite time up.
The information posted below is out dated by 20 years.
I've recently changed doctors and he says I have to quit smoking or he will not treat me. My next appointment is scheduled for Oct., with orders for blood work to check for nicotine, one week prior. The other day, I had a Heart Saver Scan done (detects and gives a calcium score...high, signifies an increased chance, when included with risk factors, of significant heart disease). My score was above 1000, and they have now ordered lab work, AND a cardiac catherization next week. I have stopped smoking, but JUST. I think I'm about to be busted big time!!! He has given me permission to use "the gum" and I know it shows up in tests, but will it be really obvious that I did, in fact smoke ( not very heavily) for up to a couple of weeks after he gave me his ultimatum. I know it is out of my hands, and I probably deserve whatever he decides to "dish out" but I'd really like to know what to expect. Thanks for everyones help in advance.
I'll reserve my opinion about your physician's threat and answer your question:
If a blood test is being used to detect nicotine, it can't distinguish nicotine from the gum or from a cigarette; however, even though the "steady state" half life of nicotine is ~ 2h, it differs for different people, but 2 h +/- 30 min is a good ballpark figure. Multiply the half-life (of any chemical) by 5, and it is virtually undetectable, so nicotine itself may not be detectable in a basic clinical blood test after about half a day, but ...
Special blood tests can be used (and are used by some insurance companies) that can detect metabolites of nicotine (i.e. chemicals that are present in your blood after your body "breaks down" nicotine). Some nicotine metabolites include cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, nornicotine, and anabasine. These can be simultaneously and accurately quantified in either serum (from your blood) and analysed by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. If the last pack you smoked was a week ago, say, these sorts of tests will be able to confirm that you have not been abstinent.
Again, if your physician is OK with you using nicotine gum, he will not be able to tell by the blood test. He will be able to smell it (if he's a non-smoker himself), for example ... just be smart. It would be unethical for me to say more, but don't smoke till you see him and you should be safe.
If you need a stent to save (or prolong) your life, you need a stent ... end of question. BTW, I know a cardiac surgeon who I saw smoking in his vehicle -- they're human and shouldn't have the "holier than thou" attitude.
this link might help
http://smokefreecentralmn.org/providers/ lungcancer/TobCarcin.pdf
The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary ...
The FDA wrote: "The FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. In one sample, the FDA’s analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and in several other samples, the FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines. These tests indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed." In a press release entitled "American Lung Association Supports Food and Drug Administration Finding that E-Cigarettes are Harmful and Contain Carcinogens; Lung Association...
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