DUST INCARD ROOMS: A CONTINUINGPROBLEM INTHE COTTON-SPINNINGINDUSTRY

Theresults aregiven ofenvironmental andclinical investigations infourcardroomswhereone ofthelatest systems ofexhaust ventilation tocontrol dusthasbeeninstalled. Theconcentration ofair-borne coarse dust particles, larger than2mm.,wasreduced bybetween 80% and90% around thecarding engines. Thecardroomsconsequently looked less dusty. However, theconcentrations ofmediumandfine sized dust particles werenotalways reduced andwereactually increased insome places. Inonemill, whenthenewcontrol system hadbeenrunning forthree years, there wasfound tobenoreduction intheprevalence ofnon-specific chest symptoms, andthere wasanincrease inthenumberofthose withchest tightness onMondays, asymptom characteristic ofbyssinosis. Evidence isgiven ofasimilar failure toreduce thedustsufficiently inthree other mills where thesameexhaust system isinstalled. Thereisanurgent needtoextend thelimited investigations reported here toalarger numberof mills. Meanwhile there isacontinuing morbidity andmortality frombyssinosis. Until work incardroomshasbeenmadesafe andproved tobeso,itisnecessary tohaveregular measurement ofdustconditions andfortheworkers tohaveperiodical medical examinations toenable managementstobeadvised aboutthehazards intheir mills andadvice tobegiven totheindividuals affected bythedust.