Environmental and behavioral predictors of salivary cotinine in Latino tobacco workers

We report the results of a cohort study of 182 seasonal and migrant farmwor kers engaged in tobacco production in two North Carolina counties. Data wer e collected on tobacco work tasks and risk factors for exposure to nicotine , including smoking, every 2 weeks over a 10-week period during the summer of 1999. Saliva samples were collected for cotinine analysis at every conta ct. Salivary cotinine levels increased across the season, independent of sm oking status. Multivariate analyses identified a model (R-2 = 0.68) in whic h predictors of cotinine included greater age, later-season work, wet worki ng conditions, smoking, and work task. Harvesting ("priming") tobacco was a ssociated with higher cotinine levels than other tasks. This study demonstr ates that tobacco workers experience substantial work-related exposure to n icotine. The long-term effects of such exposure should be investigated.