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Chemical composition of acetone/water washed cotton: human response to card room dust.

Perkins-r; H-HH; Berni RJ; Bell AA; Castellan RM; Domelsmith LN

Cotton dust: proceedings of the Eighth Cotton Dust Research Conference, beltwide cotton production research conferences, January 9-10, 1984, Atlanta, Georgia. Wakelyn PJ, Jacobs RR, eds. Memphis, TN: The National Cotton Council of America, 1984 Jan; :67-69

00149515

The effects of cotton washing treatments on the acute airway response to cotton dust was investigated in humans. A mix of high microbiological content cotton was either untreated, washed in surfactant plus water, or washed in surfactant plus 70 percent aqueous acetone. Contents of bacteria, endotoxin, and tannin were determined. The cottons were processed in model card rooms to generate dust. Human subjects were exposed to 0.22 milligram per cubic meter dust, and changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were noted. Compared to values for unwashed cotton, total bacteria and endotoxin contents were reduced about 90 percent by the aqueous acetone wash and 95 to 99 percent by the water wash. Total tannin content was decreased about 60 percent by both treatments. FEV1 declined 8.4 percent after exposure to unwashed cotton dust and 2.3 and 1.8 percent after exposures to dust from cotton washed in aqueous acetone and water, respectively. The authors conclude that washing treatments reduce, but do not eliminate, the potency effects of respirable cotton dust on the ventilatory response of human subjects.

Biological-effects; Physiological-measurements; Lung-function; Industrial-dusts; Control-methods; Physiological-response; Respiratory-irritants; Respirable-dust; Medical-research; Airborne-fibers

19840101

Conference/Symposia Proceedings

Wakelyn PJ; Jacobs RR

1984

9780961340803

Cotton dust: proceedings of the Eighth Cotton Dust Research Conference, beltwide cotton production research conferences, January 9-10, 1984, Atlanta, Georgia