Cotton Dust
An OSHA Guidelines Summary
Cotton dust poses a series of risks to human health and is a controlled toxic and hazardous substance in Occupational Safety & Health Administration's (OSHA) catalogue. The substance is defined as (OSHA, N.d.):
"Cotton dust means dust present in the air during the handling or processing of cotton, which may contain a mixture of many substances including ground up plant matter, fiber, bacteria, fungi, soil, pesticides, non-cotton plant matter and other contaminants which may have accumulated with the cotton during the growing, harvesting and subsequent processing or storage periods. Any dust present during the handling and processing of cotton through the weaving or knitting of fabrics, and dust present in other operations or manufacturing processes using raw or waste cotton fibers or cotton fiber byproducts from textile mills are considered cotton dust within this definition."
Furthermore, more specifically, OSHA's guidelines regarding Cotton Dust only apply to certain industries. For example, cotton dust can be generated in all workplaces that engage in yarn manufacturing, slashing and weaving operations, or in waste houses for textile operations. However, these standards do not apply to operations that involve woven or knitted materials, maritime operations, or to the harvesting or ginning of...
There are also standards that apply to the cotton dust generated in the preparation of washed cotton until such point that the cotton is sufficiently wetted and can no longer release dust.
Each type of operation covered has different regulations that are in place and overseen by OSHA.
Yarn manufacturing and cotton washing -- no employee shall be exposed to airborne concentrations of lint-free respirable cotton dust greater than 200 ug/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured be a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
Textile Mill Waste -- employees shouldn't be exposed to dust resulting from "low grade cotton" and airborne concentrations greater than 500 ug/m3 mean concentration averaged over an eight-hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
Slashing and Weaving -- airborne cotton dust particles should not be greater than 750 ug/m3 mean concentration, averaged over an eight hour period, as measured by a vertical elutriator or an equivalent instrument.
There are different methods in which such concentrations can be determined and OSHA has set standards and guidelines to monitor these data collection methods as well. It is critical that organizations follow the guidelines to ensure they…
