| We do not currently have a biomarker that
reliably reflects tobacco exposure. Both self-reported cigarettes smoked per day and urine
cotinine concentration have important limitations. Efforts to identify a better biomarker
of tobacco exposure should be intensified. An important consideration in developing
biomarkers of exposure is understanding which components of tobacco smoke are detrimental.
Our search for better biomarkers should be driven by our knowledge of which components are
important. This is difficult in tobacco research as tobacco smoke contains so many
potentially harmful ingredients. |
