Respiratory symptoms and abnormalities of lung function were studied in 84 female and 27 male hemp workers employed in two textile mills (A and B) processing soft hemp (C sativa). In mill A 46 women and 27 men were investigated and 38 female workers were studied in mill B. Forty nine women and 30 men from a non-dusty industry served as controls. A significantly higher prevalence of almost all c...

BACKGROUND Workers in cotton industry are occupationally exposed to various dust-related hazards. The nature of these agents and the respective exposure levels depend on the cotton industry specific sector. These exposures could be associated with respiratory symptoms and changes in lung function parameters. OBJECTIVE To evaluate associations between occupational exposure and respiratory func...

AIMS To determine chronic effects of long term exposure to cotton dust and endotoxin on incidence of respiratory symptoms and the effect of cessation of exposure. METHODS Respiratory health in 429 Chinese cotton textile workers (study group) and 449 silk textile workers (control group) was followed prospectively from 1981 to 1996. Byssinosis, chest tightness, and non-specific respiratory symp...

OBJECTIVES The relation between lifetime cumulative exposure to asbestos, pathological grade of pulmonary fibrosis, and lung burden of asbestos at death, was explored in a necropsy population of former workers in a chrysotile asbestos textile plant in South Carolina. METHODS Estimates of cumulative, mean, and peak exposures to asbestos were available for 54 workers. Necropsy records and lung ...

Cotton textile workers have an increased prevalence of both obstructive and restrictive lung function patterns when compared to control subjects. Similar abnormal lung function patterns may occur with other respiratory diseases, notably those associated with cigarette smoking. The shape of the maximum expiratory flow volume (MEFV) curve has been used to characterize patterns of lung function ab...

OBJECTIVE "Work-related musculoskeletal disorders" (WMSDs) is a term used to describe a painful or disabling injury to the muscles, tendons or nerves caused or aggravated by work. WMSDs are preventable or at least can be delayed. The aim of this study to determine the work related musculo-skeletal disorders and risk levels of the these factory workers. STUDY DESIGN Cross sectional study. MA...

The textile industry sector occupies a prominent place in the economy of Benin. It exposes workers to several occupational risks, including exposure to cotton dust. To assess the effect of exposure to cotton dust on the health of workers, this study was initiated and conducted in a Beninese cotton industry company. The objective of the study was to evaluate the respiratory disorders among the t...

Workers chronically exposed to high-intensity/low-frequency noise at textile plants show increased frequency of respiratory infections. This phenomenon prompted the herein investigation on the cytology of the bronchial epithelium of Wistar rats submitted to textile noise. Workplace noise from a cotton-mill room of a textile factory was recorded and reproduced in a sound-insulated animal room. T...

The authors evaluated associations between occupational exposures in the textile industry and the risks of esophageal cancer and stomach cancer. The authors conducted a case-cohort study nested in a cohort of female textile workers in Shanghai, China. One hundred and two workers with incident esophageal cancer and 646 workers with incident stomach cancer diagnosed between 1989 and 1998 were com...