Exposure to Cotton Fibre and its Impact on Lung Function

Abstract

Introduction: Respiratory pathologies associated with the work environment, such as in the field of clothing manufacturing, are conditioned by the pollution load given by the aforementioned cotton dust, an agent that can impair lung function. This paper aims to describe the relationship between exposure to cotton dust and lung function. Methods: A descriptive, observational, non-probabilistic sampling study involving 53 workers in the textile sector from all areas with the same workload. Spirometry was performed to assess lung function, and respiratory symptoms were collected using the standardized questionnaire of the American Thoracic Society. The data were analyzed and subjected to descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 27  men (50.9%) and 26 women (49.1%) participated with a mean age of 36.49 (SD±8.37) distributed in areas of assembly (73.5%), cutting (18.8%) and quality control (7.5%). The mean spirometry indices were 3.32 liters (SD±0.74) for forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) 3.82 liters (SD±0.59) and FEV1/FVC ratio 86.50 (SD±10.76). Conclusions: It is mentioned that there is a relationship between cotton dust and a decrease in lung function related to the time of exposure measured in years of work in people who work in the manufacture of clothing whose raw material is denim fabric, decreasing the values for FEV1 along with the FEV1/FVC ratio.