Uso de biomarcador cotinina em trabalhadores para detecção da doença da folha verde do tabaco / Use of cotinine biomarker in workers to detect green tobacco sickness / Uso de biomarcador cotinina en trabajadores para detectar la Enfermedad del Tabaco Verde

Objetivo verificar, por meio da tecnologia de biomarcador de cotinina urinária, a ocorrência da doença da folha verde do tabaco em trabalhadores que cultivam tabaco do tipo Burley. Método estudo caso-controle pareado, com base no status tabágico e na proporção 1:4, com participação de 20 trabalhadores-caso e 91 controles. Para a coleta de dados foi realizada entrevista por meio de inquérito domiciliar e coleta de urina para exame de cotinina. Foram utilizados os testes t de Student, Mann-Whitney, qui-quadrado de Pearson ou exato de Fisher. Resultados dos 23 casos suspeitos, 20 apresentaram níveis elevados de cotinina, sinais e sintomas de dor de cabeça, irritação de pele, náusea, enjoo e mal-estar geral, principalmente pela manhã. A maioria trabalhou com tabaco molhado decorrente do sereno e o clima estava quente. Conclusão verificam-se sinais sugestivos da doença da folha verde do tabaco nos trabalhadores do tabaco Burley. Faz-se necessária a atuação de profissionais de saúde no desenvolvimento de ações promotoras de saúde e preventivas sobre essa doença relacionada ao trabalho.

Objective using the urinary cotinine biomarker to verify the occurrence of green tobacco sickness in workers who cultivate Burley tobacco. Method paired case-control study, based on smoking status and on the 1:4 ratio, with participation of 20 case workers and 91 controls. Data collection included household surveys and urine collection for cotinine examination. Student's T-Test, the Mann-Whitney test, Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used. Results of the 23 suspected cases, 20 showed elevated levels of cotinine, signs and symptoms of headache, skin irritation, nausea, sickness and general malaise, especially in the morning. Most had worked with tobacco that was wet from the morning dew and when the weather was warm. Conclusion there are signs suggestive of green tobacco sickness in Burley tobacco workers. The action of health professionals is necessary for the development of health promotion and preventive actions addressing work-related illness.

Objetivo certificar, por medio de la tecnología de biomarcador de cotinina urinaria, la ocurrencia de la Enfermedad del Tabaco Verde en trabajadores que cultivan tabaco del tipo Burley. Método estudio caso-control pareado, con base en el status tabáquico y en la proporción 1:4, con la participación de 20 trabajadores-caso y 91 controles. Para la recopilación de datos se realizó una encuesta por medio de cuestionario domiciliar y de recolección de orina para análisis de cotinina. Se utilizaron las siguientes pruebas t de Student, Mann-Whitney, chi-cuadrado de Pearson o exacta de Fisher. Resultados de los 23 casos sospechosos, 20 presentaron niveles elevados de cotinina, señales y síntomas de dolor de cabeza, irritación de la piel, náusea, mareo y malestar general, principalmente por la mañana. La mayoría trabajó con tabaco mojado por el sereno y en un clima caluroso. Conclusión se certifican señales sugestivas de Enfermedad del Tabaco Verde en los trabajadores del tabaco Burley. Se hace necesaria la actuación de profesionales de la salud en el desarrollo de acciones promotoras de salud y preventivas de esta enfermedad relacionado con el trabajo.

Urinary cotinine in tobacco farmers in Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe urinary cotinine levels in tobacco farmers. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2,570 tobacco farmers. All participants that reported green tobacco sickness in the week prior to the interview plus a subsample of 492 pesticide applicators were included. We collected urinary samples and information about sociodemographic, behavioral, dietary, occupational characteristics, and pesticide poisoning during their lifetime. Stratification by sex and smoking was performed and the Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametrical tests were used to analyze cotinine means. RESULTS This study included 582 individuals. There was no difference in urinary cotinine means between green tobacco sickness symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Among non-smokers, having picked tobacco in the previous week was associated with higher cotinine means in both genders. Cotinine levels were higher on the first day of symptoms and reduced exponentially with each day in female non-smokers. Male non-smokers had higher levels on the second day and a more gradual reduction. The cotinine level rose up to 15 cigarettes/day of consumption. CONCLUSIONS The urinary cotinine measures exposure to nicotine up to its saturation point; while green tobacco sickness, affected by tolerance, indicates nicotine poisoning. Strategies to reduce nicotine exposure in tobacco production are needed. Mechanization could be an alternative, as long as it overcame the challenge of irregular terrain and did not affect the quality of the leaf. More studies are needed to evaluate the chronic effect of nicotine exposure.

Coverage of tobacco control in Jordanian newspapers: implications for strengthening the role of news media

News media play a critical role in tobacco control. To strengthen this role in Jordan, four newspapers were searched and 1 145 articles between 2011 and 2015 were coded for mention of MPOWER topics and for tone of coverage [neutral, pro-, or anti-tobacco control]. Monthly counts, mention of tobacco control topics and the tones were examined. The monthly count of tobacco control-related news items showed an upward trend with an average monthly growth of 16%. Peaks in coverage were observed in synchrony with national tobacco control developments. 'Warn' was the topic most frequently mentioned [46%]. 'Protect' was the only topic that showed a statistically significant upward trend over time. A pro-tobacco control tone was more prevalent than an anti-tobacco control or neutral tone. Thus, efforts are needed to enhance the newsworthiness of certain topics, boost influence on decision-makers and pre-empt industry interference

Poisoning in children in Japan.

The Japan Poison Information Centre (JPIC) received 31,510 inquiries about poisoning in children under 6 years old being exposed to poison in the fiscal year 1995. The most frequently implicated products were tobacco (20%) and the peak age for ingestion of household products was 1 year and younger (83.3%). Especially, the inquiries related to children less than 1 year old were 35.7% of the cases. In contrast, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) data showed that the most common poisonings were due to pharmaceutical products and the inquiries related to children less than 1 year old were only 12.1%. The objective of this report was to find out the poison exposure in children in Japan and to compare the data with that of AAPCC.