70 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
70 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
#rs/class/hea150 #rs/assignment
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1. The article provided is about Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe who grow tobacco for a large international company. This company claims to be protecting their rights and informing them about the risks of growing tobacco, but Admire and his family, the farmers interviewed for this story, never got this information. One of the risks of farming tobacco is green tobacco illness, which is caused when nicotine is absorbed into someones body with symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches. There are measures that can be taken to lessen the impact such as waterproof clothing and gloves, but families like Admire's often don't know about these measures or cannot afford them.
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2. One of the problems that Admire is facing is a lack of knowledge about the heath risks that could arise due to tobacco farming. Even though the large companies state that they value the health of their farmers, they are still profit-driven companies. It is likely much cheaper for them to hand the farmers a packet or nothing at all rather than hosting training and teaching farmers about the risks and factors to mitigate it. The cost of protective gear is also a barrier for tobacco farmers, which likely comes down to cost for the large companies as well. By charging their farmers for protective gear, they are able to earn even more money from them while still appearing like they are giving the farmers opportunities to obtain protective equipment.
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3. The question I asked ChatGPT was "I am doing research for school about green tobacco illness and I was wondering where in the world it is the most common and what populations it affects the most?" It gave me a breakdown of both where in the world green tobacco illness is most prevalent and which populations are most affected. Both sections were pretty similar with it saying that tobacco growing countries and individuals are the most impacted. It also cited percentages from studies on the prevalence of the disease in Brazil, Thailand and among Latino farmers in the United States. The first two studies seem like good sources that match what was in the answer, but the last one comes from an article referencing a study saying that 41% of tobacco farm workers reported green tobacco illness and most were Latino rather than that 41% of Latino farmers reported green tobacco illness.
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4. Overall, the ChatGPT response was pretty good giving an overview of the topic and stating some general points about the issue. One of the biggest differences between a response from ChatGPT and an article from a source like the Human Rights Watch is that ChatGPT will never go out and actively report on an issue. It is limited by the information that is already on the internet and is not able to actively gather anything new. On the other hand, journalists are able to go to the places affected and gather new information on what is happening through interviews, photos, and more. They can cover new and developing stories in a way that generative AI models that just summarize the internet cannot.
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Another thing that I have noticed about the responses from ChatGPT is that it is not great at telling a story. It mostly just seems to give a list of facts and doesn't do much to make you interested or wanting to read more. The article from the Human Rights Watch not only gives you similar information, but it also walks you through the story of someone affected by this issue and tells it in an engaging way that ChatGPT did not. There are some advantages that ChatGPT has such as being able to answer personalized questions in a way that journalists cannot, but it is still often factually incorrect and misquotes facts or ideas.
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## ChatGPT response:
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Here is a summary of what I found out about **Green Tobacco Sickness** (GTS) — where it’s most common and who is most affected:
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---
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### 🌍 Where it’s most common
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- GTS is an occupational illness caused by **dermal absorption of nicotine** from handling _wet_ or _green_ (uncured) tobacco leaves. ([Lippincott Journals](https://journals.lww.com/ijoe/fulltext/2017/21030/green_tobacco_sickness__a_brief_review.2.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine"))
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- It is especially common in regions that do tobacco cultivation. Major tobacco‐producing countries include China, Brazil, India and the United States. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6786486/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Perspective Green tobacco sickness: Mecamylamine, varenicline, and nicotine vaccine as clinical research tools and potential therapeutics - PMC"))
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- Studies have found in specific areas:
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- In a tobacco‐growing region of Brazil: a prevalence of **56.9%** among workers (71.7% for women, 35.3% for men) in one study. ([BioMed Central](https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3135-x?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Brazilian farm workers and genetic polymorphisms | BMC Research Notes | Full Text"))
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- In part of Thailand: a prevalence of **22.6%** among tobacco farmers (17.9% in men; 27.5% in women) in one district. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6977054/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Thai Traditional Tobacco Farmers, Thailand - PMC"))
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- In the U.S. among migrant Latino farmworkers doing tobacco work: about **41%** reported GTS at least once during the season. ([Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist](https://newsroom.wakehealth.edu/news-releases/2000/02/tobacco-farm-workers-may-contract-tobacco-sickness-study-shows?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Tobacco Farm Workers May Contract Tobacco Sickness, Study Shows | Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist"))
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- A review article says the prevalence “varies from 8.2 % to 47 % globally.” ([Lippincott Journals](https://journals.lww.com/ijoe/fulltext/2017/21030/green_tobacco_sickness__a_brief_review.2.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine"))
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- Because the illness is strongly tied to tobacco leaf harvesting/handling in places with moist/wet leaves and manual labor, it will be more common in low‐ and middle‐income countries where large scale manual tobacco farming is done. One WHO Q&A mentions that “as many as **1 in 4** tobacco farmers are affected by green tobacco sickness” in tobacco growing countries. ([World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/world-no-tobacco-day-2023---grow-food--not-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "World No Tobacco Day 2023 – Grow food, not tobacco"))
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---
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### 👥 Which populations are most affected
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- **Tobacco farm workers**: Anyone who directly handles green tobacco leaves (harvesting, curing, etc) is at risk. ([PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29618907/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness: A Brief Review - PubMed"))
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- **Women**: Some studies show higher rates in female workers. For example – in Brazil, 71.7% of women in that sample had GTS vs 35.3% of men. ([BioMed Central](https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3135-x?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Brazilian farm workers and genetic polymorphisms | BMC Research Notes | Full Text")) In Thailand the rate was higher in women than men (27.5% vs 17.9%) in one study. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6977054/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Thai Traditional Tobacco Farmers, Thailand - PMC"))
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- **Children & family members**: Although less data, there’s indication that children working in tobacco fields or assisting in family farms are vulnerable due to lower body weight, longer exposure, etc. For example, the WHO Q&A points out that “women and children are often the primary tobacco labourers … children are particularly vulnerable”. ([World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/world-no-tobacco-day-2023---grow-food--not-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "World No Tobacco Day 2023 – Grow food, not tobacco"))
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- **Workers without protective gear in wet/leaves‐moist conditions**: Risk factors include working when leaves are wet (dew, rain), lack of use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and poor hygiene (wet clothes) which increase absorption of nicotine. ([WHO Extranet](https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/green-tobacco-sickness-indonesias-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green tobacco sickness in Indonesia’s tobacco heartland: Sociodemographic and environmental determinants among farmers in Bondowoso regency | WHO FCTC"))
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- **Non‐smokers or smokers?** Interestingly, some studies suggest that current smokers have _lower_ risk of GTS, maybe because they are somewhat “tolerant” to nicotine absorption from other sources. For example, in the Indonesian study, smokers had a lower prevalence ratio of GTS (APR = 0.60) compared to non‐smokers. ([WHO Extranet](https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/green-tobacco-sickness-indonesias-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green tobacco sickness in Indonesia’s tobacco heartland: Sociodemographic and environmental determinants among farmers in Bondowoso regency | WHO FCTC"))
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---
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### ✅ Key takeaways for your research
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- GTS is most **common in tobacco‐growing regions**, especially in **low and middle income countries** where manual labour in tobacco harvesting is common.
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- Among those labourers, **women, children**, and those with **high exposure (wet leaves, no PPE, long hours)** are especially at risk.
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- The illness is **under‐reported** and prevalence varies widely depending on the study/population, but you’ll often see rates from ~8% up to over 50% in high‐risk groups.
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- Preventive measures (wet‐leaf handling, protective gloves/clothing, avoiding harvesting when leaves are wet) are important but often lacking in many farming contexts.
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---
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If you like, I can **look up country‐by‐country data** for GTS (which countries have studies and their reported prevalence) and send you a table + map so you can include it in your school project? |