Blog about an occupationally-related disease: Byssinosis

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What is Byssinosis? 
Byssinosis, otherwise known as Monday fever, brown lung disease, mill fever, or cotton worker’s lung, is an occupational lung disease. Those working in cotton processing, hemp or flax industries are affected.
What happens when one contracts byssinosis? 
Byssinosis begins when workers inhale cotton, flax, or hemp particles. This causes breathing difficulties that tend to improve later on in the week or as exposure to cotton dust (hence the term “Monday fever”). Other symptoms include cough and chest tightness.
Is this dangerous? 
According to the American Lung Association, prolonged exposure can cause irreversible lung damage that may resemble chronic obstructive lung disease. Usually, no long-term effects are seen if the exposure stops, and those who develop symptoms have typically been exposed for long periods of time (over 10 years).
How is this regulated? 
In the United States, death by byssinosis is rare as regulations are enforced. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created the Cotton Dust Standard in 2000 to protect workers from developing byssinosis. According to OSHA, “prior to the standard more than 50,000 textile workers suffered from the disease at any one time.” The Cotton Dust Standard sets requirements for monitoring, medical surveillance, and work practices for organizations.



References
http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/byssinosis/learn-about-byssinosis.html
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/federalregister/2000-12-07-1
https://www.healthline.com/health/byssinosis

Comments

  1. Ashley SubramaniMarch 29, 2018 at 7:14 PM

    Hey Loren,

    It is unfortunate to see that is usually irreversible for the lungs. Have rates increased or decreased over the years? These type of workers should have their health regularly monitored as discovering the condition too late can be deadly.

    ReplyDelete

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