What Are the Side Effects of Cotinine?
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4 min read
Cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, has a half-life of about 20 hours in the body, which is significantly longer than nicotine's few hours. This stability makes it an excellent biomarker for detecting tobacco use or secondhand smoke exposure. However, many health risks and side effects are mistakenly attributed to cotinine itself rather than the underlying nicotine exposure it indicates.