Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
onlya ''limited number'' of workers developed scarring on their lungs be-
cause the disease seemed to be influenced by a ''patient (host) factor,'' in
addition to the ''chemical factor.'' The study, which noted that the lesions
could partiallyclear if the affected subject was removed from contact with
the spray, concluded by calling for the adoption of protective measures
for vineyard spray workers.
A follow-up study examined the clinical records of 14 men and
1 woman who had been diagnosed with vineyard sprayer's disease over a
five-yearperiodinPortugal.
100
Allofthepersonshadahistoryofexposure
through inhalation to Bordeaux for varying periods of time. Their symp-
toms generallyconsisted of weakness, loss of appetite, and marked weight
loss,followedbybreathlessnessoftenaccompaniedbyacough.Biopsiesof
three acutely affected patients revealed blue-green patches on the surface
of their lungs and microscopic lesions that tested positive for copper.The
study stressed that ''routine laboratory work'' and immunological data
contributed little to the diagnosis of vineyard sprayer's disease, which was
''easilyconfused''withpneumonia,lungabscess,andtuberculosis.
101
Insix
cases, the disease remained dormant until an additional factor, such as a
bacterialorviralinfection,triggereditsprogressionatalaterdate.Inother
subjects,thediseaseprogressedchronically,forming''tumor-like,massive
opacities'' in the upper region of the lungs. Five of the patients examined
died due to various forms of respiratory failure. On the brighter side, im-
provement was seen in some patients when their exposure to Bordeaux
ceased.
Although data on vineyard sprayer's lung is limited, the juxtaposi-
tion of the Portuguese studies from the 1970s with the oral testimonies
of ex-veneneros offers new ways to interpret the historical meanings of
Sigatoka control work.
102
Thesimilaritiesbetweenthesymptomsofvine-
yardsprayer'slungandthosedescribedbybananaworkers—lethargy,loss
of appetite, weight loss and coughing—are noteworthy. The symptoms
also correspond to tuberculosis and pneumonia, diseases that were com-
monplace among fieldworkers living in banana camps. The di
culty of
distinguishing vineyard sprayer's lung from tuberculosis through clini-
cal diagnosis raises the possibility that respiratory problems linked to the
accumulation of copper in banana workers' lungs were sometimes ''mis-
diagnosed'' as tuberculosis. Of course, ''vineyard sprayer's lung'' had yet
to enter medical discourse, nor did antibiotics (e.g., streptomycin) exist
to treat tuberculosis prior to the 1950s. Consequently, the findings from
Portugalservelessasevidenceofnegligenceonthepartofthefruitcompa-
nies' medical staffs, than to provide a plausible epidemiological explana-
