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PubMed1991

Occupational health and safety regulation in the coal mining industry: public health at the workplace.

The strategy for preventing occupational disease and injury in the coal mining industry employs several elements. Standards are set and enforced; technical assistance, research, and development are provided; and surveillance is conducted. Compensation for black lung is a vivid reminder of the consequences of failure to prevent disease. And, workers are represented by a union that encourages active participation in all aspects of this strategy. There are significant problems in each of these elements. Regulatory reform threatens to weaken many standards, there is a decline in government research budgets, surveillance is not well monitored, and compensation for black lung is significantly more difficult to obtain now than in the past. Moreover, the conservative governments of the past decade are not friendly towards unions. Nevertheless, the fundamental structure of disease and injury prevention remains intact and, more importantly, it has a historical record of success. The Mine Safety and Health Act provided for a wide array of basic public health measures to prevent occupational disease and injury in the mining industry. These measures have been effective in reducing both risk of fatal injury and exposure to respirable coal mine dust. They are also associated with temporary declines in productivity. In recent years, however, productivity has increased, while risk of fatal injury and exposure to respirable dust have declined. At individual mines, productivity with longwall mining methods appear to be associated with increases in exposure to respirable dust. These trends are not inconsistent with similar trends following implementation of regulations by OSHA. When OSHA promulgated regulations to control exposure to vinyl chloride monomer, enforcement of the standard promoted significant efficiencies in vinyl chloride production (5). Similarly, when OSHA promulgated its standard regulating exposure to cotton dust, this effort provoked modernization in the cotton textile industry (14). It is not inevitable that occupational health and safety regulations are associated with negative economic performance. On the contrary, in some instances, public health on the job and productivity are complementary.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2002

Anaerobic digestion of alcohol sulfate (anionic surfactant) rich wastewater--batch experiments. Part II: influence of the hydrophobic chain length.

High-strength wastewater of some industries contains high concentrations of surfactants and readily biodegradable compounds like starch and other carbohydrates. Wastewater of this type is found in the textile wet-processing industry (e.g., cotton desizing). The anaerobic degradation process in such wastewater is inhibited due to the high surfactant content. Alcohol sulfate (AS) of increasing hydrophobic chain length (C8 to C18, surfactant) and soluble starch (size) were used as model compounds in a series of batch experiments with high loadings of the biomass (65 g AS/kg cell dry weight; 910 g starch/kg cell dry weight). The strongest inhibition of the hydrolysis, acidogenesis and acetogenesis was found in reactors containing medium chain ASs like dodecyl sulfate. Starch hydrolyzation rates decreased by nearly 90% in the presence of dodecyl sulfate. Decyl sulfate caused the strongest inhibition of the methanogenesis and a decrease of the methane evolution by 75% within 87 days experimental time. It was found that short as well as long chain ASs caused only minor inhibition phenomena. The presented data can be used as a basis for the selection of suitable surfactants that do not (or not seriously) inhibit the anaerobic digestion of industrial effluents.

Alcohols↗
PubMed2003

The Mersey Basin: an historical assessment of water quality from an anecdotal perspective.

The freshwaters of the Mersey Basin have been seriously polluted for over 200 years. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the water quality was relatively clean before the start of the Industrial Revolution. The development of the cotton and chemical industries increased the pollution load to rivers, and consequently a decline in biota supported by the water was observed. Industrial prosperity led to a rapid population increase and an increase in domestic effluent. Poor treatment of this waste meant that it was a significant pollutant. As industry intensified during the 19th century, the mix of pollutants grew more complex. Eventually, in the 1980s, the government acknowledged the problem and more effort was made to improve the water quality. Knowledge of social and economic history, as well as anecdotal evidence, has been used in this paper to extrapolate the changes in water quality that occurred.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The effects of weight levels and gloves on the ability to discriminate weight difference.

In this study, six different types of gloves commonly used in industry (surgical, cotton, nylon, leather, rubber, and whizard knife hand gloves) were evaluated at four different weight levels (8.2, 3, 1.5 and 0.25 kg). Six males and six females voluntarily took part in this study. The dependent variable was the difference limen (or difference threshold) (abbreviated as DL(%)) of the discriminating weight difference (DWD). A nested-factorial design with the subject nested under gender was employed. The results indicate that the weight level had a negatively significant effect on the DL(%). The mean difference thresholds were 3.49, 5.39, 6.08, and 9.45 for the weight levels at 8.2, 3, 1.5, and 0.25 kg, respectively. The individual difference becomes obvious when the weight level is relatively light (0.25 kg). However, the effects of gender, glove, gender x weight, and weight x glove were found to be insignificant, and there was no significant correlation between the DL(%) and glove characteristics (thickness and weight). Subsequently, four additional weight levels (0.01, 0.5, 1 and 15 kg) were considered, and a psychophysical equation was derived: DL(%) = 34.33 x W(0.238) (R2 = 0.98), where W represents the weight level. These results support the power function. A minimum weight difference with 90% confidence of correct detection was suggested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Respiratory health and dust levels in cottonseed mills.

Four cottonseed mills in the southern United States contained high levels of total and respirable dust. A survey of 172 workers showed low prevalences of byssinosis (2-3%) and chronic bronchitis (4%). Mean baseline (out of dust) lung function values were normal. Mean functional declines over the working shift were present on Monday and absent on Friday, indicating an acute bronchoconstrictor response. Despite limitations in translating measured dust levels into estimates of individual exposures, the overall dose-response relationship seems to differ from that found in the cotton textile industry.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[The use of vaginal tampons in hospital and practice].

Industrially manufactured cotton wool tampons have been used for 5 years on approx. 5,000 women. The tampons were used in cases of inflammatory diseases of the vagina and of the cervix as well as postoperatively after abdominal and vaginal operations in order to apply medicaments. The absorbing effect of the tampons immediately stops the disagreeable secretion. The insertion of the tampons is simple and can be performed by the women themselves. Use of the pre-fabricated tampons is more economical than that of those tampons developed by our personnel. The advantages of the tampons during menstruation as well as during sports activities while menstruating are discussed. No side effects were observed during tampon use provided the tampons were inserted correctly.

Female↗
PubMed2004

Enhanced production of cellobiohydrolases in Trichoderma reesei and evaluation of the new preparations in biofinishing of cotton.

In the search for suitable cellulase combinations for industrial biofinishing of cotton, five different types of Trichoderma reesei strains were constructed for elevated cellobiohydrolase production: CBHI overproducers with and without endoglucanase I (EGI), CBHII overproducers with and without endoglucanase II (EGII) and strains overproducing both CBHI and CBHII without the major endoglucanases I and II. One additional copy of cbh1 gene increased production of CBHI protein 1.3-fold, and two copies 1.5-fold according to ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The level of total secreted proteins was increased in CBHI transformants as compared to the host strain. One copy of the cbh2 expression cassette in which the cbh2 was expressed from the cbh1 promoter increased production of CBHII protein three- to four-fold when compared to the host strain. T. reesei strains producing elevated amounts of both CBHI and CBHII without EGI and EGII were constructed by replacing the egl1 locus with the coding region of the cbh1 gene and the egl2 locus with the coding region of cbh2. The cbh1 was expressed from its own promoter and the cbh2 gene using either the cbh1 or cbh2 promoter. Production of CBHI by the CBH-transformants was increased up to 1.6-fold and production of CBHII up to 3.4-fold as compared with the host strain. Approximately similar amounts of CBHII protein were produced by using cbh1 or cbh2 promoters. When the enzyme preparation with elevated CBHII content was used in biofinishing of cotton, better depilling and visual appearance were achieved than with the wild type preparation; however, the improvement was not as pronounced as with preparations with elevated levels of endoglucanases (EG).

Cellulose 1,4-beta-Cellobiosidase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Pleural mesothelioma in cotton spinning workers].

BACKGROUND: Cases of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in the non-asbestos textile industry have recently been described, but asbestos exposure in spinning and looming has seldom been reported. Nevertheless, on a national level the Italian Mesothelioma Registry (Re.Na.M) contains numerous cases of MM with past non-asbestos textile work but classified as "unknown" exposure due to poor information. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to investigate possible past occupational exposure to asbestos in this specific industrial sector. METHODS: The MM cases were collected from the Mesothelioma Registry of Brescia. Work histories were obtained via a standardized questionnaire. Investigations were conducted in textile machinery manufacturing plants in order to collect information regarding the possible use of asbestos parts; at the same time, the use of asbestos friction materials and the use of sprayed asbestos for noise abatement purposes or thermal insulation was checked in the cotton industry by interviewing the management of two companies where a cluster of MM was observed. RESULTS: The Mesothelioma Registry of Brescia retrieved and collected 15 MM cases with past work in the cotton spinning industry, 4 of them employed in the same company. Further search of asbestos use gave positive results as the use of friction materials has been widespread since the fifties, while sprayed asbestos was not found anywhere in the cotton industry. On the other hand, half of the cases were employed during the thirties and forties, when friction materials appear to have been asbestos-free. Therefore the other hypothesis of exposure could be direct manufacture of asbestos yarn. CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation indicate the attribution, at least, of possible asbestos exposure"for those cases employed in textile industries since the fifties, according to the Re.Na.M guidelines; for those cases employed before that period the same classification can be attributed on an epidemiological basis. Previous work periods need further investigation in order to demonstrate the circumstances of the occupational asbestos exposure, given the heterogeneity of work processes and machinery characteristic of this industrial sector.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Occupational morbidities and their association with nutrition and environmental factors among textile workers of desert areas of Rajasthan, India.

In Rajasthan 21,000 workers are engaged in hand processing textile industries (process gray/raw cotton cloth). They are exposed to hazards of the textile industries besides the harsh conditions of the desert which contributes to adverse effects on their health. To explore the occupational health problems of the desert textile workers and their association with nutrition and environmental factors, investigations were carried-out in two districts, Jodhpur and Pali. Data on occupational disease conditions, environmental factors, nutritional deficiency signs and anemia were collected for a total of 1,240 individuals out of which 845 were textile workers and 395 were comparative group workers of the same age groups. The main disease conditions, i.e. aches (19.4%), respiratory (12.1%) and fever (7.7%), were higher in textile workers than the comparative group. Dyeing group workers suffered the most (25.5%) from aches, significantly higher than the comparative group (11.6%), may be due to a higher percentage of severe anemia, besides physical labour. Printing and bleaching group workers suffered from respiratory problems (15.5%) almost twice as much as the comparative group, possibly due to exposure to fumes of acids and use of chemical dyes. Housing conditions, personal hygiene and education showed negative associations with disease conditions but positive associations with anemia. The study revealed that in the textile industry, disease conditions vary with the categorization of work. The findings suggest the need for implementation of safety measures according to the type of work in textile industries, besides extension of health and nutrition education and welfare programs.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Prevalence of byssinosis and respiratory symptoms among cotton mill workers.

BACKGROUND: While the prevalence of byssinosis is decreasing in industrialized countries and persists at high levels in developing countries, this prevalence is remaining constant in Turkey. OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the effects of past cotton dust exposure on the respiratory tract, a total of 223 persons working in a cotton mill were included in this study. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to inquire about respiratory symptoms. Participants underwent several spirometric measurements, which were performed on the 1st, 3rd and 5th day of the working week. Cotton dust measurements were performed in different divisions of the factory. RESULTS: The most common respiratory symptom was chest tightness (20.3%). The prevalence of byssinosis was 14.2% in cotton-processing workers. Among these cases, 28.6% had symptoms on the 1st day of the week, and 71.4% had symptoms on all days of the week. An acute effect was seen in 53.6% of the workers with byssinosis. Mean respirable dust levels were between 0.095 and 0.413 mg/m(3). CONCLUSIONS: In spite of technological improvements, respirable dust concentrations are still above the permissible limits, and thus the risk of byssinosis remains. Workers in the cotton industry where obsolete technology is used and standardized protection measures are not applied should be followed for byssinosis.

Adult↗