[The assesment of health status of adolescents exposed to tobacco smoke with cotinine as an exposure biomarker].

The aim of the study was the assessment of the health status of adolescents exposed to tobacco smoke. The questionnaire and internal examination covered 202 of Lodz high school students. The tobacco smoke exposure was assessed by cotinine measurement in urine with the HPLC method. The results indicate intensive passive and active exposure to tobacco smoke among the examined adolescents, which was reflected in the cotinine levels in urine, 30-40 times higher in smokers than in the remaining subjects. The active smokers more frequently manifested problems of respiratory nad neurovegetative systems, however there were no differences in the subjective study results as well as in the frequency rate of using health care services by the active smokers and the remaining subjects.