title: Multiple-episode conjunctivitis outbreak among workers at a nut-processing facility.
abstract: Workers in a Kern County almond and pistachio nut-packing facility sought medical care for eye irritation (conjunctivitis) on three separate occasions in 1987 and 1988. These incidents were investigated by the California Department of Health Services to identify the agent responsible for the eye irritation outbreak and to suggest possible remediation. The eye irritation incidents involved only the 30 to 35 workers in the preprocessor shed. Each of the three eye irritation incidents followed phosphine (Gastoxin) fumigation. Four plausible hypotheses were tested as explanations of the outbreaks of eye irritation: phosphine gas exposure, ammonia gas exposure, aluminum hydroxide dust exposure, and almond cleaning and hulling dust exposure, with or without contamination by propargite residues (Omite 6-E). None of these hypotheses received enough consistent support to be viewed as a probable cause for the illness outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Pesticide and Environmental Toxicology Section, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley 94704.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ames
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide / Q000009:adverse effects; D000641:Ammonia / Q000009:adverse effects; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005651:Fumigation; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009754:Nuts; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010720:Phosphines / Q000009:adverse effects; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D010720:Phosphines; D000536:Aluminum Hydroxide; D000641:Ammonia; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; C044646:phosphine