Premium
Contact dermatitis in tobacco farmworkers
Author(s) -
Abraham Nina F.,
Feldman Steven R.,
Vallejos Quirina,
Whalley Lara E.,
Brooks Thanh,
Cabral Gonzalo,
Earp Patricia,
Fleischer Alan B,
Quandt Sara A.,
Arcury Thomas A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0536.2007.01148.x
Subject(s) - medicine , contact dermatitis , irritant contact dermatitis , allergic contact dermatitis , dermatology , axilla , occupational exposure , environmental health , cultivation of tobacco , agriculture , allergy , biology , ecology , cancer , breast cancer , immunology
Occupational skin disease is highly prevalent among agricultural workers. Tobacco cultivation and harvest are particularly hazardous for farmworkers. We report 5 migrant Latino farmworkers in North Carolina with contact dermatitis related to tobacco work. These cases show a characteristic distribution of contact dermatitis; the flexural and medial surfaces of the upper extremities were affected in each case, whereas most cases showed some involvement of the torso and axilla. This pattern most likely reflects a common occupational practice of holding the tobacco leaves under the arm and pressed against the body during harvesting.