Federal Regulations

OSHA passed federal safety regulations regarding cotton dust in 1978. Prior to this, an estimated 12,000 workers had byssinosis at any given time. This number made up about 12 percent of the total cotton textile workers. Since the passage of federal regulations, however, only about 700 workers, or 0.68 percent of all cotton textile workers, have byssinosis.

The federal standard for cotton dust exposure is given in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910.1043, or "29 CFR 1910.1043" for short. This standard applies to yarn manufacturing, slashing and weaving, and textile waste operations. All other job categories in which cotton dust exposure may occur are covered by a more general air contaminant standard, 29 CFR 1910.1000.

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