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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) testimony on cotton dust before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Labor Standards, by James A. Merchant, May 16, 1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7004476

The testimony summarized information available on respiratory disease arising from exposure to cotton dust which will appear in a comprehensive study the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has undertaken together with the Department of Labor at the request of Congress. The NIOSH portion of the study involved a detailed description of methods of epidemiological and environmental investigation of occupational respiratory disease, assessment of impairment and disability and a series of chapters on specific categories of occupationally induced respiratory disease. In this testimony, specific information was imparted regarding byssinosis. Topics included: byssinosis; the number of exposed workers; etiological agents; Monday morning chest tightness; chronic effects; epidemiology; disability; and cigarette smoking as a risk factor. Elements important to standards for compensation for disability from cotton-dust exposure were suggested.

Research Organization:
National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
OSTI ID:
7004476
Report Number(s):
PB-90-131863/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English