[Toxicologic and pharmacologic methods in the control of smoking behavior]

Tobacco smoking is a form of drug addiction and drug dependence. The neuropharmacological action of nicotine is mediated by nicotinergic synapses of the mesencephalic formatio reticularis resulting in increased cognitive efficiency within only 7 seconds after nicotine absorption from inhaled cigarette smoke. Nicotine is an addictive drug and tobacco smoking an addictive habit. Nicotine and its main metabolite cotinine can be termined gaschromatographically today, so that reliable statements can be made about a man's smoking habits. But these methods are expensive, time consuming and dependent on a special technical equipment not allover available in clinical laboratories. Measurement of carbon monoxide in alveolar breath seems to be the most suited method for clinical practice, because it correlates very close with COHb, it is rapid and easy to perform with a special analytical apparatus. With the new methods developed for analysis of nicotine and cotinine it is proved unequivocally that passive smoking increases the nicotine and cotinine concentrations in the body fluids of nonsmokers and that components of tobacco smoke are inhaled in harmful amounts.