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Report confirms secondhand smoke causes heart attacks... The American Lung Association (ALA; Washington)

Second hand tobacco smoke causes 600 000 premature deaths each year globally, a third of them among children, warns the World Health Organization in a report. It says that more than 90% of people worldwide are still not protected from the dangers of second hand smoke. (Article from BMJ on smoking)
See Simplicity Health News.


TobacAlert™ is a passive smoking test that provides you with a quick, accurate, on-the-spot determination of a person’s level of exposure to tobacco products including second hand smoke.

This passive smoking test 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.

The passive smoking test measures levels of cotinine, a byproduct of the body’s 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.

£12.99

1x test per pack

(Code: 2010)

Primary Uses of the Passive Smoking Test

- 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 counselors.

How the passive smoking test 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 specialised “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).
The passive smoking test is not intended for medical use.

Cotinnine Strips

What is cotinine?
Cotinine [COAT-e-neen] is a chemical that is made by the body from nicotine, which is found in cigarette smoke. Since cotinine can be made only from nicotine, and since nicotine enters the body with cigarette smoke, cotinine measurements can show how much cigarette smoke enters your body.
As far as we know, cotinine itself is not harmful. Cotinine is used simply to measure how much tobacco smoke has entered your body. However, many studies show that some of the 4,000 other chemicals found in tobacco smoke are harmful.

£3.50

1 per pack

(Code: 2060)

Why should I have a cotinine test?

If you are serious about stopping or reducing your smoking, or if you are interested in the amount of smoke that has entered your body, this test can be very useful. By knowing what your starting level of cotinine is, you can see how successful your efforts to stop smoking are.

Your Guide to Lung Cancer

If you have lung cancer, or are close to someone who does, it is likely that you may have many unanswered questions, worries and concerns. You may feel as if you are losing control over what is happening and are left needing vital reassurance and support.

£14.99

1 per pack

(Code: 7017)

Helping you when you need it the most

The Royal Society of Medicine brings you this indispensable book that provides:
*all the information you need about lung cancer
*invaluable advice to help you make informed decisions
*support throughout the illness - every step of the way

Authors

Dr David Gilligan is consultant Oncologist at Addenbrooke's and Papworth's Hospitals, Cambridge, and an expert advisor to a number of cancer support organizations.
Dr Robert Rintoul is Consultant Respiratory Physician at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge; he has been the recipient of several prestigious research awards and fellowships.