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Tobacco smoke and pregnancy: segmental analysis of nicotine in maternal hair

Nataša Brajenović1, Irena Brčić Karačonji, Anja Mikolić

  • 1Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, HR-10001 Zagreb, Croatia. nbrajen@imi.hr

Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health
|February 23, 2013
PubMed

The investigation assessed nicotine metabolism prior to and during pregnancy in relation to different maternal smoking habits. It included segmental hair analysis in 3 groups of postpartum women: 32 active smokers, 35 passive smokers, and 19 unexposed nonsmokers. Maternal hair at least 12 cm long was collected after delivery and was divided into four 3-cm-long segments representing each trimester of pregnancy and the 3 months prior to pregnancy. Hair nicotine concentration was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Nicotine levels were the highest in the 3-month period before pregnancy and it gradually decreased with advancing gestation in all study groups. These results suggest that when assessing tobacco exposure as measured by nicotine in hair, metabolic changes of nicotine during pregnancy should be taken into consideration.

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