Bacterial counts, dusts

Gram-negative Bacteria. The significant data are summarized in Table IV. Cinkotai et al. (11,12) showed that the prevalence of byssinotic symptoms correlated best with gram-negative rod counts in the total airborne dust from cardrooms of cotton mills. This correlation could be Increased by multiplying the bacterial counts by the years of exposure of the worker. These bacteria also correlated with the number of 2-4 ym particles and the amount of protease in the air. 

Lundholm and Rylander (29) studied the total airborne dust bacteria in cotton mills in Sweden and in England. A 20% byssi-nosis prevalence correlated with bacterial counts of 3cfu/L in England and with 51cfu/L in Sweden. Rylander concluded that the AFEV] correlates best with the square root of the number of gramnegative bacteria per gram in bale cotton multiplied by the dust levels when the cotton is carded. 

Simpson, M.E. and Marsh, P.B. (1986). Bacterial counts on commercial cotton fiber from the U.S. crop of 1984, In Proc. Tenth Cotton Dust Res. Conf., pp. 57-62 (R.R. Jacobs and P.J. Wakelyn, eds.). National Cotton Council, Memphis, TN. 

There are three common ways of assessing, the particulate content of air. One measures dust mass expressed as mg/m3. Another counts particles expressed as number/m3. A third measures bacterial colony-forming particles (BCFP) expressed also as number/m3. 

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