Use of cotinine biomarker in workers to detect green tobacco sickness.
Marta Regina Cezar-Vaz, Marcia Casaril Dos Santos Cargnin
PMID 31618387WHAT IT FOUND
Twenty of 23 Burley tobacco workers with recent intoxication symptoms had cotinine above laboratory reference values, and green tobacco sickness was confirmed.
Cotinine did not clearly separate cases from controls, and sock use was associated with illness.
Key findings
01Twenty of 23 suspected cases were confirmed by urinary cotinine above laboratory reference values.
02Median urinary cotinine was 114.9 ng/mL in cases and 98.5 ng/mL in controls; the paper reports no statistically significant difference when cotinine levels were compared by smoking status.
03The study reports a significant association between the disease and sock use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
No non-participant observation was done, so exposure was based on self-report. Many controls had cotinine above reference values, so the biomarker did not clearly separate cases from controls. The study was conducted in one municipality during specific harvest periods. It may not apply to other tobacco crops or regions. Pregnant workers and those with mental disorders that prevented understanding questions were excluded. Some environmental conditions differed between collection periods, and additional samples were collected to complement the sample.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read high urinary cotinine as proof of green tobacco sickness on its own. Some controls had cotinine above reference values, and cotinine levels did not clearly separate cases from controls.