What is TobacAlert?
TobacAlert is a home test that provides you with a quick,
accurate, on-the-spot determination of a persons 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
bodys 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).
LEVEL |
COTININE CONCENTRATION (ng/ml) |
INTERPRETATION |
0 |
0 - 6 |
Non-user of tobacco products. Minimal or no nicotine exposure |
1 |
6 - 30 |
Non-user of tobacco products. Low passive nicotine exposure |
2 |
30 - 100 |
Non-user of tobacco products but higher passive nicotine exposure |
3 |
100 - 200 |
User of tobacco products |
4 |
200 - 500 |
User of tobacco products |
5 |
500 - 1000 |
User of tobacco products |
6 |
1000+ |
User of tobacco products |