Narcissus and Daffodil

Harmful effects of Narcissus 405
patients with allergic contact dermatitis to narcissus over a fourteen-year period
(Lamminpää et al., 1966). Both were gardeners with many years’ exposure, and
produced positive patch tests to a 1% concentration of narcissus plant extract.
During discussions with workers in the Cornish narcissus industry, the present
authors met a farm owner who developed an immediate facial erythema and swelling
on entering the packing sheds, as a result of sensitisation from previous handling
of the flowers.
Pesticides
Pesticides are important in the flower industry and worldwide have been noted to
produce increasing skin problems in agricultural workers (Lisi et al., 1987). This
is predominantly a contact dermatitis where protective measures are poor. It has
been reported in the tulip bulb industry, after use of the fungicide fluazinam. In
this case the bulbs were handled after spraying, contrary to the manufacturer’s
instructions (Bruynzeel et al., 1995). This fungicide is not used in the daffodil bulb
industry in the UK, where the list of fungicides includes chlorothalonil, carbendazim,
iprodione, vinclozolin, benomyl and mancozeb, and no particular problems
have been observed with these. On one farm where we have observed bulb processing,
carbendazim is currently used, but all bulb dipping takes place in tanks
outside, not in bulb sheds. The same material is also used as a spray in the field to
control fungal foliar diseases and delay leaf senescence. Fungicides may be present
on the leaves at the time of picking, but field workers questioned by us did not
report any particular problem with this. However, some farmers reported they
were unable to spray the crops because of the severity of the facial rash which they
develop while doing so. This is allergic dermatitis to airborne particles which contain
the fungicide to which they have become sensitised. No specific product was
mentioned.
Conclusions
Our study of those involved in the narcissus industry has shown that most harmful
effects are produced as a result of direct contact between irritant sap and the skin.
Many pickers are affected, but they have developed ingenious strategies to avoid
this contact and allow them to work. The season is short and the condition selflimiting,
so they rarely present to a doctor and the problem is under-reported.
OTHER HARMFUL EFFECTS OF NARCISSUS
Ingestion by humans
A rare but harmful effect of narcissus is toxicity as a result of the inadvertent
ingestion of the bulbs (Venner and Gibbons, 1995). When mistaken for small
onions and included in a stew, acute vomiting resulted from the effects of toxic
alkaloids, including lycorine which is stable to heat. Recovery was rapid, due to
the early onset of severe emesis. This probably accounts for human toxicity being
limited to vomiting, abdominal cramps, shivering and diarrhoea. The onset of