American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 37, Issue 3, 2000, Pages 307-315

Migrant farmworkers and green tobacco sickness: New issues for an understudied disease (Article)

Quandt S.A.* , Arcury T.A. , Preisser J.S. , Norton D. , Austin C.
  • a Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, United States
  • b Dept. of Fam. and Community Medicine, Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
  • c Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • d [Affiliation not available]
  • e [Affiliation not available]

Abstract

Background: The transition from family tobacco production to dependence on hired labor has placed migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSF) at risk for green tobacco sickness (GTS). No previous studies of GTS have focused on MSF. Methods: One hundred and forty-four Hispanic MSF working in tobacco production in North Carolina were surveyed to obtain self-reports of GTS, preventive behaviors, and treatments. Results: Forty-one percent reported having GTS at least once during the summer. Most had taken no precautions to prevent GTS. Ninety-six percent of those with GTS had tried to treat it. Antinausea medications were the most common treatments. Only 9% sought medical treatment; 7% lost work time. Conclusions: The incidence of GTS obtained by interviewing MSF is much higher than that in other studies, which have relied on rates of medical treatment or farmers' reports for their workers. MSF constitute a population at risk for GTS who have little control over work conditions to prevent GTS or seek treatment.

Author Keywords

Hispanic Nicotine Occupational risk Environmental justice Agriculture tobacco

Index Keywords

vomiting Farmer's Lung Plants, Toxic agricultural worker human tobacco industry nausea nicotine Hispanic Americans Humans vertigo tobacco occupational exposure environmental exposure Risk Factors Agricultural Workers' Diseases Article Transients and Migrants occupational hazard
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0033951442&doi=10.1002%2f%28SICI%291097-0274%28200003%2937%3a3%3c307%3a%3aAID-AJIM10%3e3.0.CO%3b2-Z&partnerID=40&md5=454ad321f038ff9395d6f5b9677d5986
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0274(200003)37:3<307::AID-AJIM10>3.0.CO;2-Z
ISSN: 02713586
Cited by: 45
Original Language: English