Nicotine poisoning: green tobacco disease

Green tobacco disease[1]-[2] is a type of nicotine poisoning caused by the transdermal absorption of nicotine from the surface of wet 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.. Symptoms of green tobacco disease are similar to those induced by pesticide exposure or heat exhaustion. Thus, green tobacco disease may be misdiagnosed by practitioners unfamiliar with the disease.. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, pallor, 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.

Tobacco farmers are often unaware of these risks and therefore do not take the necessary measures to avoid this poisoning. The measures to be taken to reduce this occupational risk are as follows: when clothes are wet from humidity and/or perspiration, they must be changed to maintain an effective barrier between the tobacco leaf and the skin; gloves, long pants and a loose shirt must be systematically worn, and workers must wash their hands frequently. Finally, it is important to raise awareness among tobacco farmers about this disease and especially not to allow children to work in tobacco fields. The latter are in fact more sensitive to the effects of nicotine in general on their brain development.