Respiratory effects of cotton dust exposure in the cotton garnetting industry

We measured exposures to total dust, vertically elutriated dust, and endotoxin and studied acute pulmonary responses among 128 workers in the cotton garnetting and mattress assembly industries. Previous studies in this segment of industry have not characterized endotoxin exposures or related them to pulmonary responses. The median 8-hour time-weighted average total dust was 0.72 mg/m3, the median vertically elutriated dust was 0.22 mg/m3, and the median endotoxin concentration was 5.2 ng/m3. Ten percent of the subjects reported chest tightness or dyspnea on Mondays. Thirteen percent of the subjects reported symptoms of chronic bronchitis. Although there was no relationship between changes in pulmonary function across the workshift and either total dust, vertically elutriated dust, or endotoxin exposure, 13% of the subjects had greater than 5% decrements in FEV1 over the workshift.     

餐饮业原料的主要卫生问题分析与对策探讨

目的调查不同规模餐饮单位原料采购相关卫生问题,了解探讨存在的问题,为卫生政策的制定提供依据。方法采用多级分层随机抽样的方法抽取180家餐饮单位,以自行设计调查表调查其存在问题和控制措施。结果大型餐饮单位各种控制措施较好,小型餐饮单位最差(P<0.05);小型餐饮单位存在的食品原料卫生问题较多,主要问题是食用无标签的定型包装食品(主要为罐头类)和无为生产日期和保质期的定型包装食品等;按批次索证情况普遍很差;小型饭店食品贮存问题最严重。结论餐饮单位原材料采购过程中存在较多问题,可以通过制度调整、加强管理、组织培训等对策加以改善和解决。     

Hygienic analysis of the experience in dicyclopentadiene production from petrochemical raw materials

The labour conditions at an experimental dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) processing line was characterized by a combined action of occupational hygienic factors, mostly contamination of the working zone air with chemical substances. Both to the degree of its hazardousness and concentration levels in the working zone air, DCPD was predominant agent in the gaseous discharges. The DCPD discharge in the air was due to improper pump packing gland hermetization, manual sample taking, inadequate decontamination of the equipment prior to preventive maintenance, as well as to the desorption by the construction elements surfaces. DCPD contamination of the workers' skin and overalls was also revealed.     

Survival of variola virus in raw cotton

An investigation was carried out to establish the survival period of variola virus in relation to its importation into Great Britain in raw cotton. Under the conditions of the experiments described here, variola virus in scabs from a single patient survived for a maximum of three to four months at a relative humidity of 58, and for only two to four months at 30°C and humidities of 73 and 84. Exposed virus in the form of vesicle fluid in capillaries did not survive for three months at this temperature in any of these humidities.     

Characterization of airborne cotton dust concentrations in the non-textile cotton industry

Workers in the "non-textile" cotton industry breathe a dust which is similar to the dust in the cotton spinning and weaving or "textile" industry. This exposure prompts the question of byssinosis prevalence and other respiratory disease in the non-textile cotton industry. NIOSH has completed a cross-sectional medical and environmental study evaluating the prevalence of byssinosis in five segments of the non-textile cotton industry. A total of 92 non-textile cotton facilities were evaluated, including cotton gins, cotton classing offices, cottonseed oil mills, cotton compress-warehouses, and waste utilization plants. This paper presents the results of the measurements of cotton dust levels and particle size distributions in these segments. Average elutriated dust concentrations for individual plants ranged from 101 to 2050 micrograms per cubic meter of air (micrograms/m3) in 35 cotton gins, 81 to 376 micrograms/m3 in 13 classing offices, 502 to 2041 micrograms/m3 in 18 cottonseed oil mills, 39 to 831 micrograms/m3 in 13 compress-warehouses, and 237 to 3968 micrograms/m3 in 13 waste utilization facilities. Results tend to be lower than those reported in the literature for non-textile operations.     

Long-term cotton dust exposure in the textile industry

A three-year survey was conducted in six cotton-yarn manufacturing mills and one mill processing synthetic polyester fibers as part of a longitudinal epidemiologic investigation of the health experience of workers employed in the textile industry. A total of 1324 elutriated and total dust samples were collected during the three years of the study. The results indicate that the average elutriated dust concentrations in the surveyed mills were generally at or below the current OSHA standard and they ranged from 0.069 to 0.396 mg/m3, 0.089 to 0.391 mg/m3, and 0.106 to 0.210 mg/m3 for the first, second and third year surveys, respectively. Introduction of modern automated yarn processing equipment and elimination of some of the classic processes were associated with a decreasing trend in airborne dust concentrations in these mills.     

Women's respiratory health in the cotton textile industry: an analysis of respiratory symptoms in 973 non-smoking female workers.

As part of a 1992 survey of both environmental and occupational determinants of health, 973 non-smoking women aged 20-40 years who were employed in three comparable modern Chinese cotton textile mills were given a questionnaire that included questions on standard respiratory history and symptoms. All women had some potential exposure to cotton dust; mean employment was 8.7 years. Comparisons were made between those with lowest or no current exposure (job classification in administration, quality control, and testing, n = 112) and those in the more heavily exposed classifications (yarn production areas, n = 861). Association of symptoms with job was tested by logistic regression, adjusting for age, passive smoking at home, and the use of home coal burning stoves. Odds ratios for prevalence of current frequent symptoms in those working in production jobs, after adjustment for home exposure to passive tobacco smoke and coal heating, were frequent cough 2.23 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.05-4.75), frequent phlegm 3.24 (1.54-6.84), shortness of breath 4.54 (1.40-14.72), and wheeze 2.96 (1.16-7.55). Nine cases with grade I byssinosis (chest tightness or shortness of breath on return to work after two days off) were found; all were in production jobs. In these non-smoking women textile workers, chronic respiratory symptoms were associated with job category after correction for domestic indoor air quality. These data support evidence for an increased prevalence of respiratory disease in populations exposed to cotton dust.