A preliminary study on gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and their endotoxins in a gin house in India.

The presence of byssinosis, an occupational disease found among cotton mill workers, has been well documented in different parts of the world. The disease develops due to exposure to environmental cotton dust. Evidence suggests that the causative agent for the disease is gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and their endotoxins present on the cotton fibers. An investigation was carried out in a gin house in western India. Environmental dust samples were collected by vertical elutriator (VE). Airborne dust concentrations were very high in the working environment: 2.11 mg/m3 in ginning and 0.95 mg/m3 in the press department (p < 0.05), which was higher than the threshold limit value collected by VE (0.2 mg/m3), and higher than the permissible exposure limit for respirable dust (0.5 mg/m3 for nontextile industries using cotton). In the office control site, the dust concentration was 0.31 mg/m3. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's cotton dust standard permissible exposure limit for respirable dust is 0.2 mg/m3 in yarn manufacturing, 0.75 mg/m3 in slashing and weaving, and 0.5 mg/m3 in nontextile industries using cotton. These samples also showed high concentrations of airborne endotoxin (p < 0.001) in ginning and pressing (2.77 and 1.52 micro g/m3) compared with the office control site (0.009 micro g/m3 measured by Limulus amoebocyte lysate technique). Total enumeration of airborne GNB was carried out qualitatively by the petri plate exposure method and quantitatively by an Andersen 6-stage viable sampler and VE. GNB were recovered in quite high numbers. Among all the GNB, Enterobacter agglomerans were the dominant bacterial flora. Results indicate that gin workers are occupationally exposed to airborne GNB and endotoxins, and require masks.

Acute and chronic health effects due to green tobacco exposure in agricultural workers.

BACKGROUND: An epidemiological study was undertaken in Gujarat, India to study the acute and chronic health effects of occupational exposure to green tobacco. METHODS: Non-Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is the main crop in many districts of Central Gujarat. Three villages were selected from Anand district for the study and a random sample of 685 exposed workers were examined. Six hundred and fifty-five control workers with the same socio-economic status were examined from two villages where tobacco was not cultivated. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of green tobacco sickness (GTS) was 47.0% among tobacco workers. The prevalence in women workers was 55.7% while in men workers it was 42.66%. To detect the chronic health effects prevalence of hypertension, electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities, and eye problems in all the workers and reproductive abnormalities in women workers, all subjects received a medical examination. The data were compared in exposed and control group but they were non-significant statistically. No case of tobacco amblyopia was detected. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of GTS among non-FCV tobacco workers is high. However, from viewpoint of severity it can be considered as mild acute nicotine toxicity, which is relieved without medication. No significant difference is observed as regards to chronic health effects among tobacco workers and control workers.

Determination of nicotine and cotinine in tobacco harvesters' urine by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography.

A solid-phase extraction method using Drug Test-1 column containing chemically modified silica as a solid support for sample clean up and reversed phase ion-paired high-pressure liquid chromatography method have been developed for the simultaneous determination of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine from the urine samples. Mobile phase was consisted of acetate buffer (containing 0.03 M sodium acetate and 0.1 M acetic acid) pH 3.1 and acetonitrile (78:22% (v/v)) containing 0.02 M sodium octanosulfonate as an ion pair agent. pH of the mobile phase was adjusted to 3.6 with triethylamine for better resolution and to prevent peak tailing. The linearity was obtained in the range of 0.5-10 microg/ml concentrations of nicotine and cotinine standards. The correlation coefficients were 0.998 for cotinine and 0.999 for nicotine. The recoveries were obtained in the range of 79-97% with average value of 85% for nicotine and in the range of 82-98% with average value of 88% for cotinine. The limit of detection was 2 ng/ml for cotinine and 5 ng/ml for nicotine with 2 ml urine for extraction, calculated by taking signal to noise ratio 10:3. The intra-day co-efficient of variation (CV) were <4 and 7% and inter-day CV were <9 and 7% for nicotine and cotinine, respectively. The method was applied to the urine samples of tobacco harvesters, who suffer from green tobacco sickness (GTS) to check the absorption of nicotine through dermal route during the various processes of tobacco cultivation due to its good reproducibility and sensitivity.

Toxicity screening of metals with special reference to quantitative approach.

A series of metals Cr(6+), Al(3+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Hg(2+) were tested in three systems--Microtox, Motility Test, and Growth Zone Inhibition Test. Toxicity endpoint of each metal was variable from system to system. Of the three systems, Microtox was the most sensitive system. In this system, Hg(2+) reacted as the most toxic element having EC(50) value 0.08 mg/L while Cd(2+) and Cr(6+) were least toxic with their EC(50) values 19.4 and 21.0 mg/L respectively. MEC(90) value of Motility Test was always needed more concentrations of toxicant in comparison to other systems. In comparison to Microtox, ten times more concentration of Hg(2+) (1.4 mg/L) was required to find out its MEC(90) value. Growth Zone Inhibition Test was very simple method from handling point of view. The usual practice of evaluation of toxicity screening in this system is either qualitatively or semi-qualitatively. Hence a study was designed to establish a quantitative technique, Growth Inhibition Test, as an alternative to this test using the same sensor organism B. cereus, which allows determination of MAC as well as MIC. MIC for Hg(2+) was found to be 0.03 mg/L in Growth Inhibition Test while the same element was needed more concentration (1.0 mg/L) in the case of Growth Zone Inhibition test to produce halo. However, all these systems including Growth Inhibition Test showed Hg(2+) was the most toxic element.

Intervention studies against "green symptoms" among Indian tobacco harvesters.

The use of rubber gloves reduced nicotine and cotinine absorption among 29 tobacco harvesters, as evidenced by the urinary excretion rate of nicotine and cotinine. Approximately 20% (n = 6) of the subjects reported that symptoms disappeared when they used gloves, but the remaining 23 workers complained of an occasional headache even when using gloves. Wearing of boots and socks as well as gloves prevented the symptoms and significantly decreased nicotine and cotinine excretion. This suggests that nicotine is absorbed through the feet.

Isolation and identification of gram negative bacteria from raw baled cotton and synthetic textile fibers with special reference to environmental GNB and endotoxin concentrations of textile mill.

The objective of this study was to examine the gram-negative bacterial (GNB) content of Indian raw baled cotton fibers and to compare with the U.S. cottons. Airborne endotoxin also was estimated in the different work places of the mill. On comparison with data on U.S. cottons, GNB content was found to be as high as in U.S. cottons. Moreover, endotoxin concentration of cardroom dust from an Indian cotton mill was found to be significantly (P less than 0.01) higher than in the research laboratory of the same cotton mill as well as in the cardroom of a synthetic mill.

Protection against "green symptoms" from tobacco in Indian harvesters: a preliminary intervention study.

Two types of gloves were provided to 85 non-Virginia tobacco harvesters who complained of having "green symptoms." Results show that the use of gloves causes a significant reduction in nicotine absorption as reflected by the nicotine and cotinine excretion rates and also the reduction in the prevalence of "green symptoms," since contact with the leaves and leaf-sap and the abrasions of the palms was avoided by their use. It was found that the use of rubber gloves afforded protection among 93% of the subjects, while with cotton gloves the proportion was somewhat less (78.5%). Cotton gloves were more comfortable but nondurable while the rubber ones were durable but not so comfortable.

Occupational health problems among tobacco processing workers: a preliminary study.

Occupational health problems among 100 tobacco processing workers were investigated. Symptoms, including vomiting, giddiness, headache, etc. were found among 69 exposed subjects. It was also observed that the excretion rate of nicotine and cotinine increased among exposed subjects. Biochemical parameters were found to be within the normal range. Electrocardiographic findings were non-specific and clinically there was no evidence of hypertension or ischemic heart disease. Therefore, the symptoms in tobacco processing workers might possibly result from mild nicotine toxicity.