CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN 56

A Review and Recommendations Regarding

Batch Kier Washed Cotton

by
The Task Force for Byssinosis Prevention
(formerly the Industry/Government/Union Task Force for Washed Cotton Evaluation)

Member organizations:

Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
American Textile Manufacturers Institute
Cotton Incorporated
National Cotton Council of America
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Division of Respiratory Disease Studies

August 1995

Copies of this and other NIOSH documents are available from:

Publications Dissemination, DSDTT
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
FAX (513) 533-8573

For further information about occupational safety and health, call 1-800-35-NIOSH

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 95-113

Table of Contents

• Foreword
• Summary
• Acknowledgments

• Introduction
• Washed Cotton in the 1978 OSHA Cotton Dust Standard
  • Background
  • 1978 Complete Exemption for Severely Washed Cotton
  • Limitations of the 1978 Complete Exemption for Severely Washed Cotton
• Washed Cotton in the 1985 Revision of the Standard
  • Background
  • 1985 Exemptions for Washed Cotton
  • Limitations of the 1985 Partial Exemptions for Mildly Washed Cotton
• Recent Evaluations of Mildly Washed Cotton
  • Initial Studies of Modern Batch Kier Washing
  • Additional Studies of Modern Batch Kier Washing
• Conclusions
• Recommendations

• Appendix
  • Steps in Modern Batch Kier Washing Processes
    • Step 1. Mechanical Opening and Cleaning
    • Step 2. Prewetting and Cakemaking
    • Step 3. Kier Washing and Rinsing
    • Step 4. Centrifugation
    • Step 5. Drying and Baling
  • Potential Markets for Mildly Washed Cotton
  • Acute and Chronic Respiratory Effects of Cotton Dust
    • Chronic Respiratory Effect: Relationship to Acute Effect
    • Acute Respiratory Effect: Relationship to Endotoxin
    • Chronic Respiratory Effect: Relationship to Endotoxin

• Table 1
• Table 2
• References
• Abbreviations

NIOSH home page | CDC home page