W Meggs | PubMed Health

PubMed1995

Anticholinergic poisoning associated with herbal tea.

An outbreak of cholinergic poisoning occurred in New York City during a 3-day period. Seven individuals from three families of South American origin were affected. Signs and symptoms of illness included dry skin, hyperthermia, tachycardia, dilated pupils, agitation, and hallucinations. Onset of illness in all cases was temporally associated with consumption of a tea that was labeled "Paraguay Tea" and was purchased from a grocery store specializing in South American foods. Paraguay tea, made from the leaves of the holly, Ilex paraguariensis, contains caffeine and theophylline and is a popular beverage in South America. Samples of the tea analyzed with gas chromatography contained belladonna alkaloids but neither caffeine nor theophylline. An investigation by the New York City Department of Health personnel determined that the tea was from a single lot, imported by one distributor, and sold at one grocery store. Unsold inventories of the tea were quarantined, and no further cases of anticholinergic poisoning were reported.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Scientifically trained allergists.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Allergy and Immunology↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of multiple chemical sensitivities in laborers after acute gasoline fume exposure in an underground tunneling operation.

In this article, investigators report on the presence and nature of chemical sensitivities and other indices of illness in a cohort of workers excavating a new subway tunnel located under a former gasoline station. The workers were exposed to gasoline fumes for up to approximately 2 mo when they inadvertently dug into soil contaminated by gasoline. The cohort was unique in several ways: (a) contact with gasoline was made by the workers at a time when no one had complained of multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome; (b) all were males of low socioeconomic status; (c) the exposure was well documented; (d) the cohort could be considered "naive" because, at the time of the study, the men were not members of support groups and were not being seen by clinical ecologists, and they were not labeled, either by self or others, as having multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome or any related diagnosis; and (e) at the time of interview, all workers we contacted appeared to be either gainfully employed or laid off temporarily and seeking gainful employment. We explored the health status of the workers at two different times: (1) soon after the tunnel was closed as a result of high, measured benzene-exposure levels and (2) 10-13 mo after the tunnel was closed. The workers were chronically overexposed to gasoline fumes, after which approximately one-fourth (26.7%) of our random sample of relatively naive, low-socioeconomic-status male laborers-although neither disabled nor generally litigious-reported the new onset of chemical hypersensitivities and other characteristics that fit conservative criteria for multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome.

Adult↗