American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 1994
Patterns of cigarette consumption and cotinine levels among African American women smokers.
Cigarette smoking intensifies a number of serious health problems, including lung cancer, hypertension, low birth weight, and infant mortality, that disproportionately affect black Americans. Cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, is one indicator of smoke exposure. It has been reported that black women have higher mean cotinine levels than white women. ⋯ Average cotinine/cigarette values were higher in black women compared with previous reports for Mexican American women smokers. No comparable values are available for white women. Additional study is needed to begin to explain variations in levels of cotinine, as well as perceived nicotine dependence among black women.