Cotton lung disease

Russian scientists have reported a case of cotton lung disease, which was brought about by the inhalation of cotton dust that was contaminated with Dendrochium toxicum. This fungus is consid-... 

There are several major types of chronic lung disorders that can be caused by exposure to toxicants. A common symptom of chronic lung damage is chronic bronchitis. Among the toxicants that cause this condition are ammonia, arsenic, cotton dust (brown lung disease), and iron oxide from exposure to welding fumes. 

The OSHA Cotton Dust Standard, 1910.1043, contains sign requirements specifically warning employees of the possibility of contracting brown lung disease from overexposure to cotton dust. The employer must post the following sign in each work area where the OSHA PEL for cotton dust is exceeded ... 

Some vegetable fibres such as raw cotton can cause constrictive lung disease. Breathing becomes difficult when workers return to work after a weekend off. There is swelling of the cells of the alveoli, and with long-term exposure scar tissue (fibrosis) develops. 

Total frequencies of environmental illness are difficult to measure. When causes can be identified, however, scientists observe that frequencies of occurrence of a particular illness vary directly with the severity and extent of exposure. Particularly frequent in the workplace are skin lesions from many different causes and pulmonary diseases related to the inhalation of various dusts, such as coal dust (black lung), cotton dust (brown lung), asbestos fibers (asbestosis), and silica dust (silicosis). Environmental agents can also cause biological effects without overt clinical illness (for example, chromosome damage from irradiation). 

There are other ways in which endotoxins may act to produce cotton dust induced airway disease. These include 1) an instrinsic toxicity due to lipid A, responsible for both pyro-genicity and tissue damage 2) a hypersensitivity reaction involving anti-lipid A antibodies. Further, changes in mechanical properties of the lung could be explained by the release of histamine or serotonin caused by endotoxins. 

Histamine also occurs naturally in plant tissues. It arises from the decomposition of histidine, but its function has not been elucidated. Histamine levels in some plants are surprisingly high - 1,340 pg/g in the blossoms of the spinach plant ( ). It is the exposure of man and animal to this botanical histamine with a possible physiological action that makes histamine of agricultural importance. The inhalation of cotton dust, for instance, has been related to byssinosis, a respiratory disease involving a lung dysfunction. 

It has little, if any, adverse effect on the lung, and there are no reports of organic disease or toxic effect. The health effects attributed to wood, cotton, flax, jute, and hemp are not attributable to their cellulose content but rather to the presence of other substances. 

PNEUMOKONIOSES. Diseases of the lungs produced by inhalation of dusts, particularly those containing silica, asbestos and other inorganic material, or certain vegetable substances, notably sugar cane waste and raw cotton dust (brown lung). 

Strange RC, Cotton W, Fryer AA, Jones P, Bell J, Hume R. Lipid peroxidation and expression of copper-zinc and manganese superoxide dismutase in lungs of premature infants with hyaline membrane disease and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. J Lab Clin Med 116 (1990) 666-673. 

Many diseases in many industries have been linked to inhalation of endotoxin. Some are shown in Table 7.3. A chronic respiratory disease of textile workers called byssinosis has recently been linked to exposure to endotoxin in dirty cotton. Castallen et al. " and Kennedy et al. have shown linear relationships between airborne endotoxin concentration and decrease in lung function. However, there was no relationship between decrease in lung function and the dust levels in the cotton works. The organism most commonly found in cotton and linked for these symptoms is Enterobacter agglomerans. 

Diseases and conditions of the lung are important when considering occupational health. The lung can be affected by fumes, smokes, mists, dusts, fibres, gases and biological agents such as spores (for example, from fungi) and enzymes (for example, from raw cotton). 

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