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Acetonitrile as a possible marker of current cigarette smoking

Laboratoire de Toxicologie-H�pital Fernand Widal, Paris, France, R�animation Toxicologique, H�pital Fernand Widal, Universit� Paris V, France, Labopharm Inc., Laval (Qc) Canada

JR Hoffman

R�animation Toxicologique, H�pital Fernand Widal, Universit� Paris V, France, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, USA

P. Got

Laboratoire de Toxicologie-H�pital Fernand Widal, Paris, France

B. Dang Vu

Laboratoire de Toxicologie-H�pital Fernand Widal, Paris, France

FJ Band

R�animation Toxicologique, H�pital Fernand Widal, Universit� Paris V, France

Volatile nitriles are present in cigarette smoke. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of any of four nitriles in the blood can serve as a marker of recent cigarette smoking. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of these nitriles as indicators of daily cigarette smoking in 24 smokers (Group A) and 18 non-smokers (Group B), as well as the correlation between intensity of daily smoking and the blood concentration of acetonitrile. A new head space GLC assay method was used. Of the four nitriles, only acetonitrile was present in the blood of any study subject. Acetonitrile was moderately sensitive (67%) and entirely specific (100%) for self-reported daily smoking. There was fair correlation between blood acetonitrile concentration and the average daily number of cigarettes smoked (r²=0.39; P=0.001), and the mean blood acetonitrile concentration was significantly higher (P=0.03) among subjects with higher ( > 10 cigarettes per day) current cigarette exposure (148.3 � 18.0 ?g/l) than among smokers with low or minimal (1-10 cigarettes per day) exposure (43.3 � 6.0 ?g/l). Thus, acetonitrile in blood appears to be highly specific and a moderately sensitive marker of cigarette smoking with a dose-effect relationship. As such, acetonitrile shows promise as a marker of current cigarette exposure.

Key Words: cigarette smoking • exposure • blood acetonitrile • biomarker

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 16, No. 11, 658-661 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/096032719701601105


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