Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jan;8(1):32-38.
doi: 10.15171/ijoem.2017.888.

Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function among Greek Cotton Industry Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ioannis D Anyfantis  1 , Georgios Rachiotis  2 , Cristos Hadjichristodoulou  2 , Konstantinos I Gourgoulianis  3
Affiliations

Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function among Greek Cotton Industry Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ioannis D Anyfantis et al. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Workers in cotton industry are occupationally exposed to various dust-related hazards. The nature of these agents and the respective exposure levels depend on the cotton industry specific sector. These exposures could be associated with respiratory symptoms and changes in lung function parameters.

Objective: To evaluate associations between occupational exposure and respiratory function as well as reported symptoms in several groups of workers at different stages of the cotton industry in a vertical approach that covers all the major sectors-from cotton ginning to weaving and fabric production.

Methods: A questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and individual as well as workplace characteristics was completed by 256 workers at the cotton industry and 148 office workers (control group). Both groups underwent spirometry.

Results: Workers in cotton industry reported a higher prevalence of severe dyspnea (p=0.002) and wheezing (p=0.004) compared to the control group. Also they were found to have a lower predicted FEV1% (p<0.029) and lower FEV1/FVC (p<0.001) values. In addition, a higher prevalence of FEV1% <80% (p<0.001) and FEV1/FVC <70% (p=0.041) were found among textile workers. Similar results were found for non-smoker textile workers compared to non-smoker control group workers. Those working in cotton ginning mills recorded the highest decrease of spirometric values. Duration of employment in cotton industry and smoking use were found to be predictors of lung function decline for cotton industry workers.

Conclusion: Occupational exposure to cotton dust was associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and obstructive pattern in pulmonary function test.

Keywords: Byssinosis; Cotton fiber; Greece; Lung diseases; Occupational exposure; Signs and symptoms, respiratory; Spirometry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

References

    1. Oldenburg M, Latza U, Baur X. Exposure-response relationship between endotoxin exposure and lung function impairment in cotton textile workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2007;80:388–95. - PubMed
    1. Wang XR, Pan LD, Zhang HX. et al. Lung function, airway reactivity, and atopy in newly hired female cotton textile workers. Arch Environ Health. 2003;58:6–13. - PubMed
    1. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Risk Assessment in cotton industry. 2008, Available from www.cdc.gov/niosh/ (Accessed April 18, 2016).
    1. Boubopoulos NJ, Constandinidis TC, Froudarakis ME, Bouros D. Reduction in cotton dust concentration does not totally eliminate respiratory health hazards: the Greek study. Toxicol Ind Health. 2010;26:701–7. - PubMed
    1. Quanjer PH, Stanojevic S, Cole TJ. et al. Multi-ethnic reference values for spirometry for the 3–95 year age range: the global lung function 2012 equations. Eur Respir J. 2012;40:1324–43. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources