{"id":"cotinine-serum","name":"Cotinine, Serum","shortName":"Cotinine (Serum)","aliases":["Serum Cotinine","Cotinine, Plasma","Plasma cotinine","Cotinine, Serum/Plasma","Cotinine, S/P, Quant","Cotinine (Serum)","Cotinine Level, Serum"],"abbreviations":[],"loinc":[{"code":"10365-5","primary":true},{"code":"43196-5","primary":false},{"code":"59891-2","primary":false}],"specimen":"serum-or-plasma","units":[{"ucum":"ng/mL","display":"ng/mL"},{"ucum":"ug/L","display":"µg/L"},{"ucum":"nmol/L","display":"nmol/L"}],"referenceRanges":[{"population":"Adults","low":null,"high":5,"unit":"ng/mL","unitDisplay":"ng/mL","note":"ARUP's LC-MS/MS test uses a 5 ng/mL cutoff for cotinine, which falls inside the 3 to 10 ng/mL range the 2019 SRNT update gives for blood and saliva. This is a reporting cutoff for recent nicotine exposure, not a health range, and the lab decides how a result exactly at the cutoff is reported. Other labs and programs use other cutoffs, most often between 3 and 15 ng/mL, and ARUP notes that 10 ng/mL is often used for surgery clearance. Secondhand smoke exposure usually gives under 3 ng/mL, while daily cigarette smokers often run about 100 to 250 ng/mL. The cutoff on your own report is the one that applies to your result.","sources":[{"title":"Nicotine and Metabolites, Serum or Plasma, Quantitative (ARUP test code 0092361)","url":"https://ltd.aruplab.com/Tests/Pub/0092361","publisher":"ARUP Laboratories"},{"title":"Biochemical Verification of Tobacco Use and Abstinence: 2019 Update","url":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntz132","publisher":"Nicotine & Tobacco Research (SRNT subcommittee on biochemical verification)","year":2020}]}],"review":{"status":"ai-verified","label":"AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review","lastReviewed":"2026-10-03"},"summary":"Measures cotinine, which your body makes from nicotine. It shows nicotine use or heavy smoke exposure over the last few days.","url":"https://bloodtesttracker.com/markers/cotinine-serum","notice":"Information, not medical advice. Ranges differ between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against."}