Assessment of urinary cotinine as a marker of nicotine absorption from tobacco leaves: a study on tobacco farmers in Malaysia.
To assess dermal absorption of nicotine from tobacco leaves in relation to Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS), urinary cotinine concentrations were measured in 80 male tobacco-growing farmers and in 40 healthy males (controls) who did not handle wet tobacco leaves in Kelantan, Malaysia. Among non-smokers, urinary cotinine levels in farmers were significantly higher than those of controls; farmers with urinary cotinine of 50 ng/ml/m2 or above showed eye symptoms more frequently than those below this level (p<0.05). Farmers who did not wear protective equipment had subjective symptoms more frequently than those who used the equipment (p<0.05); some of these symptoms were seen more frequently in organophosphate (Tamaron) users than in non-users. As tobacco farmers evidence a risk of nicotine poisoning from tobacco leaves, assessment including GTS together with effects of pesticides will be necessary.
Onuki
Mayumi
M
Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Yokoyama
Kazuhito
K
Kimura
Kaoru
K
Sato
Hajime
H
Nordin
Rusli Bin
RB
Naing
Lin
L
Morita
Yoko
Y
Sakai
Tadashi
T
Kobayashi
Yasuki
Y
Araki
Shunichi
S
D000383:Agriculture; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000506:poisoning*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011481:Protective Clothing; D012869:Skin Absorption; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014026:Nicotiana
D009538:Nicotine; D003367:Cotinine