Hemp workers

Spanish Hemp Workers. Data collected on hemp workers have been offered in support of chronic respiratory effects associated with cotton dust exposure. Historically, hemp workers constituted the first group to call medical attention to their respiratory effects (27). More recent studies done on hemp workers, however, suggest similar limitations of methodology as mentioned above. The recruitment of subjects leaves much perplexity about the representative character of the group, when the source population is not accounted or even remotely described (28, 29, 30). The exposure length is not assessed (some of the workers have less than two years tenure) and/or the status of "retirement" is used uncritically as an index of exposure (29,... 

The control group, chosen merely out of logistic convenience from farms and factories nearby, is pruned out of those workers with worst respiratory performance, under the "presumption" of being former hemp workers (30). Again, the criticism of Feinstein on arbitrary and unacceptable selection criteria is applicable to these data. 

Cavagna et al. (35) in 1969 described the level of airborne endotoxins in cotton cardrooms (7.2 yg/m ) and in hemp cardrooms (8.7 yg/m ). Four out of fifteen volunteers showed a drop in FEV with inhalation of 40-80 yg E. coll endotoxin. Rabbits exposed to 20 yg E. coli endotoxin/day or 2 mgm cotton extract/day responded with increased pulmonary resistance to a dose five times stronger after 20 weeks. They estimated that a textile worker breathes 40-50 yg endotoxin/8 hour shift, and pointed out the constant presence of endotoxin in cotton dusts. 

The fuses of shells are cut at the end with a knife so that they are easily ignited. At the same time inspect them to see whether the fuses are fixed firmly to the shells and repair them if necessary, by winding pasted pieces of hemp around them. Needless to say remind the workers to bring the materials and instrument for such repairs. The shells are fixed with simple hangers such as those made of paper cord. Sometimes we find a curved fuse, which-is shown in Fig.113(F). Be careful to cut it in the proper place, otherwise it causes the shell to burst low(Fig.l 6). 

Compared to his fellow workers in the cotton fields, however, the slave who worked in the hemp factory was far better off, and there are records showing that some of these laborers earned as much as nine hundred dollars under the task system. This was more than many white workers were able to earn and save during their lifetimes. 

This most prosperous kingdom," declared the chancellor of France in 1484, "has a great number of provinces which, because of the beauty of the countryside, of the fertility of the soil, of the health-giving air, easily surpasses all the countries of the earth." To take advantage of these bountiful assets, French workers were continually urged to work harder to produce wool, flax, and especially hemp. 

Respiratory syndromes such as potroom asthma, which occurs in aluminium smelting workers, or byssinosis, which occurs in textile workers exposed to a variety of textile dusts such as cotton, flax, hemp or jute, should only be characterized as asthma-like because of the absence of long-term NSBH and tissue eosinophils (Bernstein, IL et al., 1993). 

Byssinosis This disease produces chest tightness, cough, and airway obstruction. Symptoms can be acute (reversible) or chronic. The agents of exposure are dusts of cotton, flax, and hemp, and textile workers are those most affected. 

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