Nicotine poisoning: green tobacco disease

Green tobacco disease[1]-[2] is a type of nicotine poisoning caused by transdermal absorption of nicotine from the surface of moist tobacco plants. Tobacco pickers, whose clothing is saturated with tobacco wet from rain or morning dew, are at high risk of developing this disease.

The latter is particularly widespread among Asian and South American tobacco pickers.. The symptoms of green tobacco disease are similar to those induced by exposure to pesticides or heat exhaustion. Thus, green tobacco disease can be misdiagnosed by practitioners unfamiliar with this disease.. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, paleness, dizziness, headache, increased sweating, chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea, increased salivation, prostration, weakness, shortness of breath, and occasional drop in blood pressure. The risk increases with the intensity of exposure.

Often, tobacco farmers are not informed of these risks and therefore do not take the necessary measures to avoid this poisoning. Steps to take to reduce this occupational risk include: when clothing becomes wet from humidity and/or perspiration, it should be changed to maintain an effective barrier between the tobacco leaf and the skin; gloves, long pants and a loose-fitting shirt must always be worn, and workers must wash their hands frequently. Finally, it is important to make tobacco farmers aware of this disease and especially not to let children work in tobacco fields.. The latter are in fact more sensitive to the effects of nicotine in general on their brain development.