Abstract

In Québec, 33,000 workers in the textile industry handle cotton fibre. The endotoxins can cause respiratory problems among the workers in this industry. This project underscores the presence of airborne endotoxins at different stages of cotton fibre processing in Quebec plants and identifies certain factors that affect these levels. Despite considerable variability, certain processes proved to be major generators of endotoxins. An effective tracking method is to demonstrate a relationship between endotoxin levels in the air and in materials or in the water of air washers. Moreover, the results can be used to identify conditions and techniques where levels should be better controlled.