Chemical analyses as validators in smoking cessation programs.

This review addresses the use of chemical analyses to validate the smoking status of a participant in a smoking cessation program. Pharmacokinetic and chemical validation literature leads to the conclusion that chemical analyses are most reliably used to confirm abstinence from smoking rather than as quantitative measures of nicotine intake or smoking activity. Analytical methodologies used in smoking validation studies are reviewed with their advantages and disadvantages. Close collaboration of behavioral scientists and analytical chemists is encouraged to validate the smoking status of participants in a smoking cessation program.