Upper respiratory irritation, cough, chills, fever, occasional nausea and vomiting;
Occurs with first contact with mill or upon return after prolonged absence;
Symptoms disappear after a few days as tolerance develops.
Chronic Bronchitis
Byssinosis
Occurs after years of exposure/mill fever;
Chest tightness, breathlessness, coughing and/ or wheezing;
Symptoms begin at the start of the work week and subside later on or when worker is away from the workplace;
Ultimately, leads to chronic bronchitis, emphysema and respiratory failure.
Main Industries and Occupations at Risk
Raw cotton processing in textile industry;
Carding (separating fibres and forming them into bundles of roughly parallel fibres); most dusty operation;
Opening, cleaning and picking of bale cotton using beaters and/or saw cleaners (fibre preparation);
Spinning (reducing size of roving and imparting twist);
Winding (winding yarn into cones or tubes);
Drawing and roving (straightening fibres, reducing strand or sliver size and imparting a slight twist);
Twisting (twisting strands of yarn together to form ply yarns);
Weaving;
Ginning (removing fibre from seed).
Cotton harvesting by hand or machine (spindle picker or stripper);
Raw cotton processing in other industries, e.g., preparation of substrate for growing of mushrooms.
Medical Examinations
Indications:
Any occupational exposure to raw cotton dust–defined as dust generated from the processing of cotton fibres, cotton or cotton fibre by-products (excluding dust from handling or processing of woven materials).
Types of Tests and Frequency of Examinations:
Pre-placement medical examinations: within three months of exposure
Clinical history and examination with emphasis on:
i. past, present, and anticipated future exposure to cotton dust;
ii. respiratory system dysfunction.
Lung function tests: Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced vital capacity (FVC);
i. Pre-shift test on the first day of the working week;
ii. Post-shift test to be done after at least 6 hours of exposure on the same day.
Unfit for exposure to cotton:
i. history of asthma and other symptomatic respiratory diseases.
Periodic medical examinations: every 12 months
Clinical history and examination with emphasis on respiratory system;
Lung function tests: Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced vital capacity (FVC);
i. Pre-shift test on the fi rst day of the working week;
ii. Post-shift test to be done after at least 6 hours of exposure on the same day
