NicCheck^® I in Use

NicCheck Assay Procedure

1. Bring all NicCheck reagents to room temperature. Be sure not to run the assay under an AC vent as the assay should be run at a temperature above 65 degrees F and AC vents can cause unusually cold areas when on.
2. 13 x 100mm test tube(s) are labelled for each sample and/or the NicCheck Controls.
3. 0.5–0.7 mL of each sample and or control will be added to the bottom of the tube, trying not to wet the inside of the tube. Wetting the inside of the tube can cause the strip, when inserted, to stick to the side of the tube and could cause incomplete color development.
4. Open the canister containing the NicCheck strips and using forceps or a gloved hand and touching the arrow end of the strip only add 1 strip to each test tube with the arrow end up.
5. Immediately reinsert the desiccant cap into the NicCheck canister containing the remaining strips.
6. As soon as possible cover the test tubes containing the sample and or controls. Any material will do — plastic wrap, tin foil, or a piece of cardboard.
7. Set a timer for 15 minutes, and return the NicCheck strips and/or controls to the refrigerator.
8. At the end of the 15 minutes, read the color on the strip against the colors on the color card to identify a low consumer or a high consumer of nicotine or a nonsmoker. Anything that is a 7 or higher is considered a high consumer. You can recheck the color after an additional 5 minutes just to be sure there has been no change. You always look for the darkest area on the strip to make this determination.