Nicotine cut-off value in human hair as a tool to distinguish active from passive smokers: A cross-sectional study in Japanese men

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tsuji, Masayoshi^{a; b; *} | Kanda, Hideyuki^b | Hayakawa, Takehito^b | Mori, Yayoi^b | Ito, Teruna^b | Hidaka, Tomoo^b | Kakamu, Takeyasu^b | Kumagai, Tomohiro^b | Osaki, Yoneatsu^c | Kawazoe, Miki^a | Sato, Sei^b | Fukushima, Tetsuhito^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan | [b] Department of Hygiene & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan | [c] Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683-8503, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Masayoshi Tsuji, Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, Fukuoka University, Faculty of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. Tel.: +81 92 801 1011; Fax: +81 92 863 8892; E-mail: zenji@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Nicotine concentration in hair is a useful marker of tobacco exposure. Detection of nicotine in the hair of non-smokers indicates passive smoking. Accurate measurement of nicotine among active and passive smokers can help in smoking cessation programs or programs designed to prevent secondhand smoke exposure. OBJECTIVE: To establish, using high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC/UV), a hair nicotine cut-off value to distinguish active from passive smokers. METHODS: Hair samples were collected from randomly chosen Japanese men (n= 192) between 2009 and 2011. Nicotine and cotinine levels in hair were measured using HPLC/UV with column-switching. T-tests and chi-square tests were performed to compare active and passive smokers, while receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the cut-off value. RESULTS:There were 69 active smokers and 123 passive smokers. The nicotine and cotinine concentrations in hair were significantly higher in active than in passive smokers (p< 0.01). The area under the curve for nicotine was 0.92. A hair nicotine cut-off value of 5.68 ng/mg, with a sensitivity of 94.2% and specificity of 87.0%, was identified as the optimal cut-off value for separating active from passive smokers. CONCLUSION: Nicotine and cotinine concentrations in hair clearly distinguished active from passive smokers.

Keywords: Screening cut-off value, nicotine, hair samples, active smoker, passive smoker

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-170004

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 41-48, 2017