DETECTION OF GREEN TOBACCO SICKNESS BY A REGIONAL POISON CENTER

This study describes epidemiological patterns of Green Tobacco Sicknes s (GTS) reported to a regional poison center July 24 through September 24, 1991, and investigates the feasibility of using such a center to expand the understanding of GTS. Records from the Kentucky Regional Po ison Center (KRPC) for 1991 were searched for exposure reports contain ing 1 of 3 agents likely to be implicated in GTS. The search identifie d 104 exposure reports, which were examined, coded and analyzed. Of th ese, we determined that 78 were likely to represent GTS cases. Of the 78 persons with suspected GTS, 78% were male, 1/2 were aged 22 or youn ger, 1/4 were 17 or younger, and dermal contact was the usual reported route of exposure. Calls to the KRPC originated in residences (51.0%) and in health care facilities (47.7%) Nearly 1/3 of the calls mention ed more than 1 symptomatic person; exposure reports for these people w ere categorized as clusters. There were 10 clusters, each containing 2 -4 persons. Almost 1/4 of all persons with suspected GTS were admitted to a hospital. This study demonstrates that a regional poison center can be used to expand understanding of GTS.