# Life Insurance Nicotine Testing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323 "2004-03-15T00:01:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/1 "2004-03-15T00:01:04Z")
I have a life insurance medical screening on Tuesday morning, part of which will be a nicotine screening test. Now, I’m not a smoker, but silly me went out drinking Friday, had way too much and ended up bumming a cigarette off a friend. I hadn’t smoke in over a year and feel just terrible about it. Oh crap. My questions: Will the insurance test be a urine or oral test? How long will the nicotine be visible in my system with each type of test? Please ease my mind dopers! ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/2 "2004-03-15T01:24:13Z")
From the people at [http://quitsmokeless.net](http://quitsmokeless.net), some ex users have stated that they’ve tested postive from a urine test up to 75 days later after quiting. Seems the test is pretty good at picking up even the minutest (sp?) amounts of nicotine. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/3 "2004-03-15T01:30:24Z")
So you’re the kind of “non-smoker” who finds themselves uncontrolably drawn towards cigarettes? And you then smoke them? But you _didn’t mean to_ so you should be given the same premium as somebody who’s never smoked in their lives? ---
**Author:** ![Doctordec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Doctordec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctordec)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/4 "2004-03-15T02:47:11Z")
This site says that just sitting in a smoky bar is like smoking 4 cigarettes. It’s not your fault, it was that guy huffing Marlboros on the barstool next to you. [http://www.tobaccofreeohio.org/contentfiles/ACFDD45.pdf](http://www.tobaccofreeohio.org/contentfiles/ACFDD45.pdf) The stuff they probaly look for is cotinine. This site says 2-4 days to be rid of it. [http://www.cotinine.com/](http://www.cotinine.com/) ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/5 "2004-03-15T02:49:34Z")
> [@larsenmtl](#): > > I have a life insurance medical screening on Tuesday morning, part of which will be a nicotine screening test. Now, I’m not a smoker, but silly me went out drinking Friday, had way too much and ended up bumming a cigarette off a friend. I hadn’t smoke in over a year and feel just terrible about it. Oh crap. Yeah right. LOL. Anyway, for what it’s worth, this site – [http://www.ohsinc.com/how\_long\_do\_drugs\_stay\_in\_your\_system.htm](http://www.ohsinc.com/how_long_do_drugs_stay_in_your_system.htm) – claims that it’s 1-2 days. But if it were me, I’d be tempted to pay the extra premium for smokers. Because some life insurance companies investigate your application AFTER a claim has been made and look for reasons to deny the claim. Of course, the consequences of lying on an application for life insurance may depend on the law in your jurisdiction. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/6 "2004-03-15T03:02:32Z")
From the OP: My questions: Will the insurance test be a urine or oral test? How long will the nicotine be visible in my system with each type of test? When I was tested it was urine and blood test. Yes, blood test. From what I understand, a regular smoker (pack a day) would need to quit for at least one year before coming clean in a blood test. Don’t know about you casual folk, though. By the way, what’s an ‘oral test’? “Do you smoke?” “No.” “Okay.” ---
**Author:** ![larsenmtl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d78d45/32.png) [@larsenmtl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/larsenmtl)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-nicotine-testing/234323/7 "2004-03-15T03:32:59Z")
Admonishments aside, thanks for the replys. Oh, and by oral test, I mean a saliva swab.