Nicotine/Cotinine Tests
 

Alright, so I have a blood/urine sampling test for Life/CI Insurance this coming Sunday (Mar 28th), and the last time I was a regular smoker was about 2 months ago. By regular, I mean nearing half a pack a day.

Ever since then, I've been around smokers (80% upwards of people I interact with on a daily basis are smokers), and occasionally have a drag (probably twice a week). The last cigarette I had was on Sunday.

I've been told that Nicotine/Cotinine disappears from your system within 72 hours of solid non-smoking. Some scholarly sources cite though, that cotinine is detectable in your system upwards for 4 weeks after your last cigarette.

I'm wondering if anybody has first hand experience with these tests.
My battle plan is to go in drinking a gallon of water a day, and to basically shut off myself from second hand smoking until after the blood/urine test.


Inputs? Advice?
Thanks in advance,
-CV





P.S. Before you say how stupid it is to smoke, most Life Insurance companies consider a person a "smoker" (thereby increasing premiums by at least 150%) if they smoke 2+ cigarettes in one year, or smoke cigars from time to time. Which means, for the most part, even if you were a nonsmoker who just happened to be at a smoky bar the night before your test, you'd still be considered a smoker if they were able to detect cotinine in your system.