{"id":"cotinine-urine","name":"Cotinine, Urine","shortName":"Cotinine (Urine)","aliases":["Cotinine, Quantitative, Urine","Urine Cotinine","Cotinine, Urn, Quant","Cotinine, Urine, Quantitative","Cotinine Level, Urine","Cotinine (Urine)"],"abbreviations":[],"loinc":[{"code":"10366-3","primary":true},{"code":"92643-6","primary":false},{"code":"33796-4","primary":false}],"specimen":"urine","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":15,"unit":"ng/mL","unitDisplay":"ng/mL","note":"ARUP's LC-MS/MS test uses a 15 ng/mL cutoff for cotinine. This is one lab's reporting cutoff for recent nicotine exposure, not a health range. Other cutoffs are higher: the 2019 SRNT update suggests 30 to 50 ng/mL for urine, ARUP notes that 100 ng/mL is often used for surgery clearance, ARUP's screening immunoassay uses 500 ng/mL, and rapid test strips are typically built around 200 ng/mL. Labs may report free or total cotinine (total is about 1.5 to 2 times free), or divide by creatinine, which cannot be converted back without the creatinine value. The cutoff on your own report is the one that applies to your result.","sources":[{"title":"Nicotine and Metabolites, Urine, Quantitative (ARUP test code 0092356)","url":"https://ltd.aruplab.com/Tests/Pub/0092356","publisher":"ARUP Laboratories"},{"title":"Cotinine Screen, Urine (ARUP test code 2007081)","url":"https://ltd.aruplab.com/Tests/Pub/2007081","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, in urine. It shows nicotine use over the last few days and can count the amount, not just yes or no.","url":"https://bloodtesttracker.com/markers/cotinine-urine","notice":"Information, not medical advice. Ranges differ between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against."}