Development of a versatile method for the detection of nicotine in air

Nicotine, a rapid-acting poison, is present in environmental tobacco smoke and has been used as a greenhouse insecticide. Due to its toxicity, several health hazard evaluations (HHE) have resulted from potential nicotine exposures to casino workers, airline flight attendants, and greenhouse employees. Exposure to nicotine can occur by inhalation, skin adsorption, and ingestion, resulting in such adverse health effects as nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, tachycardia, hypertension, convulsions, and cardiac arrhythmia. The development of an improved sampling and analytical methodology for nicotine was required to accommodate the broad concentration of nicotine levels and varying sampling scenarios presented by the differing HHE requests. A XAD-4 sorbent tube was selected for the collection of airborne nicotine. Analytical methodology for the separation, identification, and quantitation of nicotine by both gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and gas chromatography-nitrogen/ phosphorous detection is described. The limit of detection for nicotine was 0.013 microg/sample. The desorption efficiency for nicotine was determined over the range of study and ranged from 90.9% (0.096 microg) to 93.7% (24.0 microg). Nicotine exhibited storage stability for 30 days at 5 degrees C and for 14 days at ambient temperature. Based on the results of this research study, the new method for nicotine was published in the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM 2551).