Green Tobacco Sickness among Brazilian farm workers and genetic polymorphisms

Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) is an occupational illness caused by dermal absorption of nicotine from tobacco leaves. It affects thousands of farm workers worldwide. Brazil is the second tobacco producer in the world; despite this, there are few studies on GTS among Brazilian harvesters. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of GTS among a population of tobacco workers from a producing area in northeastern Brazil and investigate whether the occurrence of the disease was influenced by factors such age, gender and smoking status. In addition, it was investigated if there was association between the onset of GTS and genetic polymorphisms in genes that encode some detoxification enzymes. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic, behavioral and occupational data from the referred workers. Polymorphisms were tested through the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique.

The total prevalence of GTS found was 56.9%, with a significant difference between genders (71.7% for women and 35.3% for men, p < 0.0001). No association was identified between the investigated polymorphisms and GTS. This study confirms the occurrence of GTS among tobacco harvesters in Brazil with high prevalence. The investigation suggests the need to take preventive measures to protect tobacco workers against this disease.