Common Pulmonary Diseases

Exposure to cotton dust can result in the lung disease byssinosis. In turn, byssinosis can progress to other lung diseases, called chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, which can interfere with a person's ability to breathe. These diseases occur often in workers who are frequently exposed to dust, smoke, or powders. The three most common diseases are emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.

Emphysema occurs when the walls between the tiny air sacs in a person's lungs become damaged and eventually rupture. This makes the lungs less capable of delivering oxygen to the bloodstream, leaving the victim feeling constantly out of breath. Once the walls are destroyed, they can never grow back, making emphysema a permanent condition.

Asthma is a condition similar to an allergic reaction, where the airways in a person's lungs become swollen, limiting the amount of air that can reach the lungs. This results in shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and coughing. There is no cure for asthma, although usually symptoms subside after the victim is no longer exposed to the substance that caused the inflammation. There are also medical treatments for the symptoms.

Chronic bronchitis is another type of airway inflammation that produces mucus from the bronchial tubes, plugging them up and making it harder to get air into the lungs. Like asthma, chronic bronchitis is often caused by an irritant in the air (the most common cause is cigarette smoking), and symptoms can often be reduced by removing the irritant. Also like asthma, chronic bronchitis is a condition with no real cure.

To learn more about Cotton Dust Safety visit our Cal/OSHA Cotton Dust Safety Online Training web page.