The effect of vegetable dust on respiratory function of industrial workers.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Valic F ; Zuskin E
• Description:
  Although a great many papers have been published on byssinosis and related subjects, the whole syndrome of byssinosis is still far from being definitely elucidated. Byssinosis is an industrial pulmonary disease which affects certain groups of workers exposed to certain types of airborne vegetable dust. In spite of the fact that it was Ramazzini himself, years ago, who described a typical respiratory disease of textile workers, the very existence of byssinosis is still disputed in many circles. Today it is only the cotton-caused byssinosis that is generally accepted as an occupational disease and even included in the list of compensable occupational diseases in a few countries, while byssinosis caused by other vegetable dusts, such as hemp and flax, has not yet received general recognition. The diagnostic basis of byssinosis is not yet definitely defined. Byssinosis is characterized by symptoms of chest tightness, cough, wheezing and shortness of breath, usually accompanied by the acute reduction of ventilatory lung capacity during the work shift (1). The symptoms are by far most evident on the first day after absence fRom, William N.ork, particularly so at the initial stages of the disease, while on the following days they may not be felt at all. Some authors claim that there is no acute reduction of ventilatory capacity during the work shift except on first exposure to dust after absence fRom, William N.ork (Monday effects). As there are no radiological changes specific to byssinosis at the early stages of the disease, the early diagnosis is most often based upon the characteristic Monday symptoms and, far less often, on the basis of acute reduction of ventilatory capacity, particularly the timed forced vital capacity. In later stages the clinical picture of byssinosis is in fact identical to that of chronic bronchitis or emphysema so that it is impossible to differentiate between these diseases except on the basis of the past occupational history. The etiopathogenesis of byssinosis is not yet clarified either. There have been indications that there may be some biologically active agents (bronchoconstrictors) contained in certain vegetable dusts that affect smooth muscles of bronchi, and of bronchioles in particular, producing, in this way, a spastic reduction of ventilatory capacity (2). As the content of these contractor substances in airborne vegetable dust has generally been found too low to account for the very significant acute reductions of ventilatory capacity, it has been proposed that it is some agents contained in vegetable dust that release histamine from lung tissue, thus causing, in this indirect way, a histamine-produced contraction of smooth muscles in the respiratory system (3). There is still some dispute on whether the term byssinosis should be used to describe the reversible condition caused by the acute effects of vegetable dusts or the irreversible pathological condition developing after chronic exposure to active vegetable dusts through a longer period of time (as a rule, after at least 8-10 years of exposure). It may not be unreasonable to accept the former definition which results in an earlier diagnosis of the disease and allows the prevention of the development of its chronic stages. There are three main objectives of the present study: 1. To verify whether cotton, flax, hemp, and jute dust should be considered as byssinogenic and to establish the relative potency of these dusts to the reduction of ventilatory capacity and development of non-specific respiratory disease. 2. To study the preventive and curative effects of bronchodilators and possibly antihistaminics in workers exposed to vegetable dusts. 3. To attempt the isolation and identification of biologically active agents contained in airborne dusts and to develop methods for the quantitative or at least semi-quantitative assessment of the contraction potency of these agents.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Preceptorship Safety Staff Development Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Dusts Biological Effects Byssinosis Chronic Exposure Industrial Exposures Occupational Diseases Pulmonary Disorders Respiratory Diseases
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Conference/Symposia Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  297-325
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057375
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Special Foreign Currency Program Symposium, October 1970, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. Henschel A ed. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Health Services and Mental Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1970 Oct; :297-325
• Editor(s):
  Henschel A
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1971
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Special Foreign Currency Program Symposium, October 1970, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0c64e1d30eb12ac708fc260f6e7466a9a249ea89208d6a68d55b7c496d807145d078c6f073a6c56551e63f1b2b25333e1376e65eb2cedbff7da387187eb8aca8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181822/cdc_181822_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.02 MB ]