Hair Analysis as a Marker for Fetal Exposure to Maternal Smoking

To the Editor: Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with fetal risks in the short and long term¹,². Any attempt to understand the effects of maternal smoking on the fetus should include an estimate of the degree of fetal exposure to the constituents of cigarette smoke. To date, no biologic markers have been identified that can assist in such an estimation. We describe the distribution characteristics of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in maternal and fetal hair. We studied 10 smoking and 11 nonsmoking mothers (mean ages, 19 and 20 years, respectively) in two hospitals in Toronto…