HARVESTING TOBACCO ALMOST AS BAD AS SMOKING IT

HARVESTING TOBACCO ALMOST AS BAD AS SMOKING IT

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Wireless Flash) – Put this in your pipe and smoke it: Harvesting tobacco is almost as harmful as smoking it. A study by researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, reveals 25 percent of tobacco harvesters suffer from “green tobacco sickness,” which can cause dizziness, vomiting and headaches. The sickness is the result of fresh nicotine being absorbed through the skin, especially when working in the rain. Although “green tobacco sickness” is well-known in Marlboro country, there’s been little research conducted on it. However, doctors hope this study will increase interest in reducing the outbreaks. The research appears in the latest Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Wed 07-18-01