Microbiological characteristics of dusts from standard and washed cottons.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Castellan, Robert M. ; Hankinson, John L. ; Jacobs RR ; Millner PD ; Perkins HH Jr.
• Description:
  A study was made of fungi, total bacteria, and gram negative bacteria which were present in airborne cotton dusts to which human subjects were exposed under controlled conditions. Washed and unwashed cotton of two grades from three growing regions in the United States were used in this study along with two bales of high grade California cottons which differed in bacterial levels. Growth of organisms from fiber was investigated, and subjects were exposed to sampled dusts and tested for changes in pulmonary function. Each of the washing methods used significantly reduced the bacterial content of cotton dust and the proportion of very respirable bacterial particles in the dust. Water washing was about as effective as bleaching and scouring with bleaching in reducing bacteria on bale and lap cotton and in air. The data derived was not sufficient to determine accurately whether there were any relationships between area of growth, grade, other cotton quality parameters, bacterial levels, and human responses. Similar relationships between the gram negative bacterial content of bales and air were found for the washing study as well as for the area of growth study, suggesting an association between bacterial content of the bale and the expected pulmonary function response. The authors conclude from this study that increasing bacterial content of fiber and or air is strongly associated with acute pulmonary function responses. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Bacteria Dust Gossypium Laboratories Lung Microbiology Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory Function Tests Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Textile Industry

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• Keywords:
  Humans; Dust-analysis; Cotton-industry; Lung-irritants; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Textiles-industry; Laboratory-testing; Dust-inhalation; Airborne-dusts; Bacterial-dusts; Plant-dusts; Microbiology; Pulmonary-function-tests
• Publisher:
  The National Cotton Council of America
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  72-76
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00172374
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Seventh Cotton Dust Research Conference, beltwide cotton production research conferences, January 3-4, 1983, San Antonio, Texas. Wakelyn PJ, Jacobs RR, eds. Memphis, TN: The National Cotton Council of America, 1983 Jan; :72-76
• Editor(s):
  Wakelyn PJ; Jacobs RR
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• NORA Priority Area:
  Pulmonary System Disorders
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Seventh Cotton Dust Research Conference, beltwide cotton production research conferences, January 3-4, 1983, San Antonio, Texas
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/242292/cdc_242292_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]