Skip to main content
PMC home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 2003 Feb;60(2):115–121. doi: 10.1136/oem.60.2.115

A longitudinal observation of early pulmonary responses to cotton dust

X Wang 1, L Pan 1, H Zhang 1, B Sun 1, H Dai 1, D Christiani 1
PMCID: PMC1740472  PMID: 12554839

Abstract

Aims: To examine early adverse pulmonary effects of exposure to cotton dust, and to identify potential risk factors, including atopy for pulmonary responses to cotton dust.

Methods: Spirometry, methacholine challenge testing, and questionnaire; performed among 101 non-smoking newly hired textile workers at baseline (prior to starting work), and at 3, 12, and 18 months after starting work. Concentrations of airborne cotton dust in various work areas were measured at each follow up survey using vertical elutriators.

Results: The incidence of non-specific respiratory symptoms was 8% at three months, then diminished afterwards. Substantial acute cross shift drops in FEV1 at each follow up survey, and longitudinal declines in FVC and FEV1 after 12 months of exposure were observed. Airway responsiveness to methacholine increased with follow up time, and was more pronounced among atopics. Increasing airway responsiveness was strongly correlated with cross shift drops in FEV1. In addition, one or more respiratory symptoms at three months was significantly, and pre-existing atopy marginally significantly, associated with cross shift drops in FEV1 after adjusting for other covariates and confounders.

Conclusion: Results suggest that non-specific respiratory symptoms, decreasing lung function, and increasing airway responsiveness are early pulmonary responses to cotton dust. In addition, the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and increasing airway responsiveness, as well as atopy, may be important predictors for acute changes in lung function among cotton textile workers.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (165.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beck G. J., Schachter E. N., Maunder L. R., Schilling R. S. A prospective study of chronic lung disease in cotton textile workers. Ann Intern Med. 1982 Nov;97(5):645–651. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-97-5-645. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berry G., Molyneux M. K., Tombleson J. B. Relationship between dust level and byssinoiss and bronchitis in Lancashire cotton mills. Br J Ind Med. 1974 Jan;31(1):18–27. doi: 10.1136/oem.31.1.18. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boushey H. A., Holtzman M. J., Sheller J. R., Nadel J. A. Bronchial hyperreactivity. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980 Feb;121(2):389–413. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1980.121.2.389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Castellan R. M., Olenchock S. A., Kinsley K. B., Hankinson J. L. Inhaled endotoxin and decreased spirometric values. An exposure-response relation for cotton dust. N Engl J Med. 1987 Sep 3;317(10):605–610. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198709033171005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Christiani D. C., Eisen E. A., Wegman D. H., Ye T. T., Lu P. L., Gong Z. C., Dai H. L. Respiratory disease in cotton textile workers in the People's Republic of China. I. Respiratory symptoms. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1986 Feb;12(1):40–45. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.2176. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Christiani D. C., Wang X. R., Pan L. D., Zhang H. X., Sun B. X., Dai H., Eisen E. A., Wegman D. H., Olenchock S. A. Longitudinal changes in pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in cotton textile workers. A 15-yr follow-up study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Mar;163(4):847–853. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.163.4.2006063. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Christiani D. C., Ye T. T., Wegman D. H., Eisen E. A., Dai H. L., Lu P. L. Cotton dust exposure, across-shift drop in FEV1, and five-year change in lung function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1994 Nov;150(5 Pt 1):1250–1255. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.150.5.7952548. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Christiani D. C., Ye T. T., Wegman D. H., Eisen E. A., Dai H. L., Lu P. L. Pulmonary function among cotton textile workers. A study of variability in symptom reporting, across-shift drop in FEV1, and longitudinal change. Chest. 1994 Jun;105(6):1713–1721. doi: 10.1378/chest.105.6.1713. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Haglind P., Rylander R. Exposure to cotton dust in an experimental cardroom. Br J Ind Med. 1984 Aug;41(3):340–345. doi: 10.1136/oem.41.3.340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hendrick D. J., Fabbri L. M., Hughes J. M., Banks D. E., Barkman H. W., Jr, Connolly M. J., Jones R. N., Weill H. Modification of the methacholine inhalation test and its epidemiologic use in polyurethane workers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1986 Apr;133(4):600–604. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1986.133.4.600. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jacobs R. R., Boehlecke B., van Hage-Hamsten M., Rylander R. Bronchial reactivity, atopy, and airway response to cotton dust. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1993 Jul;148(1):19–24. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/148.1.19. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jennison E., Jacobs R. R. Evaluation of the association of acute overshift change in pulmonary function and atopy using OSHA cotton dust surveillance data. Am J Ind Med. 1994 May;25(5):737–747. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700250513. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kennedy S. M., Christiani D. C., Eisen E. A., Wegman D. H., Greaves I. A., Olenchock S. A., Ye T. T., Lu P. L. Cotton dust and endotoxin exposure-response relationships in cotton textile workers. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987 Jan;135(1):194–200. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1987.135.1.194. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lantz R. C., Birch K., Hinton D. E., Burrell R. Morphometric changes of the lung induced by inhaled bacterial endotoxin. Exp Mol Pathol. 1985 Dec;43(3):305–320. doi: 10.1016/0014-4800(85)90068-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Li D., Zhong Y. N., Rylander R., Ma Q. Y., Zhou X. Y. Longitudinal study of the health of cotton workers. Occup Environ Med. 1995 May;52(5):328–331. doi: 10.1136/oem.52.5.328. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Niven R. M., Fletcher A. M., Pickering C. A., Fishwick D., Warburton C. J., Simpson J. C., Francis H., Oldham L. A. Chronic bronchitis in textile workers. Thorax. 1997 Jan;52(1):22–27. doi: 10.1136/thx.52.1.22. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Olenchock S. A., Christiani D. C., Mull J. C., Ye T. T., Lu P. L. Airborne endotoxin concentrations in various work areas within two cotton textile mills in the People's Republic of China. Biomed Environ Sci. 1990 Dec;3(4):443–451. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rylander R., Haglind P., Lundholm M. Endotoxin in cotton dust and respiratory function decrement among cotton workers in an experimental cardroom. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1985 Feb;131(2):209–213. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1985.131.2.209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schachter E. N., Zuskin E., Buck M. G., Witek T. J., Beck G. J., Tyler D. Airway reactivity and cotton bract-induced bronchial obstruction. Chest. 1985 Jan;87(1):51–55. doi: 10.1378/chest.87.1.51. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schwartz D. A., Donham K. J., Olenchock S. A., Popendorf W. J., Van Fossen D. S., Burmeister L. F., Merchant J. A. Determinants of longitudinal changes in spirometric function among swine confinement operators and farmers. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 Jan;151(1):47–53. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.151.1.7812571. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sepulveda M. J., Castellan R. M., Hankinson J. L., Cocke J. B. Acute lung function response to cotton dust in atopic and non-atopic individuals. Br J Ind Med. 1984 Nov;41(4):487–491. doi: 10.1136/oem.41.4.487. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Snella M. C., Rylander R. Endotoxin inhalation induces neutrophil chemotaxis by alveolar macrophages. Agents Actions. 1985 Sep;16(6):521–526. doi: 10.1007/BF01983657. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Zuskin E., Kanceljak B., Schachter E. N., Witek T. J., Mustajbegovic J., Maayani S., Buck M. G., Rienzi N. Immunological findings and respiratory function in cotton textile workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1992;64(1):31–37. doi: 10.1007/BF00625948. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Zuskin E., Valić F. Change in the respiratory response to coarse cotton dust over a ten-year period. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1975 Sep;112(3):417–421. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1975.112.3.417. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES