Byssinosis
Encyclopedia
Byssinosis, also called "brown lung disease" or "Monday fever
", is an occupational lung disease
caused by exposure to cotton
dust in inadequately ventilated working environments. Byssinosis commonly occurs in workers who are employed in yarn
and fabric
manufacture industries. It is not thought that the cotton dust directly causes the disease and some believe that the causative agents are endotoxin
s that come from the cell walls of gram negative bacteria
that grow on the cotton. Although bacterial endotoxin is a likely cause, the absence of similar symptoms in workers in other industries exposed to endotoxins makes this uncertain.
Of the 81 byssinosis-related fatalities reported in the United States between 1990 and 1999, 48% included an occupation in the yarn, thread, and fabric industry on the victim's death certificate. This disease often occurred in the times of the industrial revolution. Most commonly young girls working in mills or other textile factories would be afflicted with this disease.
The term "brown lung" is a misnomer, as the lungs of affected individuals are not brown.
Brown lung can ultimately result in narrowing of the airways, lung scarring and death from infection or respiratory failure
.
Metal fume fever
Metal fume fever also known as brass founders' ague, brass shakes, zinc shakes, Galvie Flu, or Monday morning fever is an illness caused primarily by exposure to certain fumes...
", is an occupational lung disease
Occupational lung disease
Main Article Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Occupational lung diseases are a branch of occupational diseases concerned primarily with work related exposures to harmful substances, be they dusts or gases, and the subsequent pulmonary disorders that may occur as a result...
caused by exposure to cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
dust in inadequately ventilated working environments. Byssinosis commonly occurs in workers who are employed in yarn
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
and fabric
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
manufacture industries. It is not thought that the cotton dust directly causes the disease and some believe that the causative agents are endotoxin
Endotoxin
Endotoxins are toxins associated with some Gram-negative bacteria. An "endotoxin" is a toxin that is a structural molecule of the bacteria that is recognized by the immune system.-Gram negative:...
s that come from the cell walls of gram negative bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
that grow on the cotton. Although bacterial endotoxin is a likely cause, the absence of similar symptoms in workers in other industries exposed to endotoxins makes this uncertain.
Of the 81 byssinosis-related fatalities reported in the United States between 1990 and 1999, 48% included an occupation in the yarn, thread, and fabric industry on the victim's death certificate. This disease often occurred in the times of the industrial revolution. Most commonly young girls working in mills or other textile factories would be afflicted with this disease.
The term "brown lung" is a misnomer, as the lungs of affected individuals are not brown.
Symptoms
- Breathing difficulties
- Chest tightness
- WheezingWheezeA wheeze is a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. For wheezes to occur, some part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed, or airflow velocity within the respiratory tree must be heightened...
- CoughCoughA cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...
Brown lung can ultimately result in narrowing of the airways, lung scarring and death from infection or respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
.