Byssinosis: Defining Cause and Disability
Authors: GARY R. EPLER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1982)

Editorials1 November 1982Byssinosis: Defining Cause and DisabilityGARY R. EPLER, M.D.GARY R. EPLER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-97-5-772 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptOccupational lung diseases must be defined accurately for clinicians who diagnose and treat these disorders, and for government and legal agencies that must decide on causation and determine disabilities (1). The definitions must be an amalgam of information from physicians, scientists, and industrial hygienists, who can provide different perspectives from their clinical, epidemiologic, and exposure data.The definition of byssinosis (an occupational hazard for workers with cotton, flax, hemp, or sisal fiber), depends in part on symptoms associated with work-week exposure. The symptoms are graded in relation to degree of persistence with re-exposure to the offending fiber: grade 1 is...References1. EPLERSABERGAENSLER GFE. Determination of severe impairment (disability) in interstitial lung disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980;121:647-59. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. SCHILLING R. Byssinosis in the British cotton textile industry. Br Med Bull. 1950;7:52-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. MAIRSMITHWILSONLOCKHART ADWW. Dust disease in Dundee Textile Workers. Br J Indust Med. 1960;17:272-8. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. CAVAGNAFOAVIGLIANI GVE. Effects in men and rabbits of inhalation of cotton dust or extracts and purified endotoxins. Br J Indust Med. 1969;26:314-21. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. EL-SADIKMOSELHIEL-HINADYMOSTAFA YMAM. Study of lung function changes among different grades of byssinosis. Br J Indust Med. 1972;29:184-7. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. FISHKELLY JJ. Measurements of responsiveness in bronchoprovocation testing. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1979;64:592-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. MORGANVESTERLUNGBURRELGEEWILLOUGHBY WJRJW. Byssinosis: some unusual questions. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982;126:354-7. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. EDWARDSMACARTNEYROCHEWARD CJGF. The pathology of the lung in byssinotics. Thorax. 1975;30:612-23. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. PRATTVOLLMERMILLER PRJ. Epidemiology of pulmonary lesions in nontextile and cotton textile workers: a retrospective autopsy analysis. Arch Environ Health. 1980;35:133-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. MCDONALD J. International Conference on Byssinosis, conference summary. Chest. 1981;79:134S-6S. MedlineGoogle Scholar11. MERCHANTORTMEYER JC. Mortality of employees of two cotton mills in North Carolina. Chest. 1981;79:6S-11S. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. BECKSCHACHTERMAUNDERSCHILLING GELR. A prospective study of chronic lung disease in cotton textile workers. Ann Itern Med. 1982;97:645-51. LinkGoogle Scholar13. SICILIANEPLERGAENSLER LGE. Analysis of environmental causality in lung disease. Chest. 1980;78:540. Google Scholar14. WOODSEPLERRISKGAENSLER BGCE. Determination of severe pulmonary impairment (disability) by exercise testing. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982;125:155. Google Scholar15. . Evaluation of impairment/disability secondary to respiratory disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982;126. (In press). Google Scholar16. RICHMAN S. Meanings of impairment and disability. Chest. 1980;78:367-71. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. ROOKE G. Compensation for byssinosis in Great Britain. Chest. 1981;79:124S-7S. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByWorkmens' compensation and byssinosis in South Africa: A review of 32 casesExercise Testing in Occupational Lung DiseasesThe Evidence for Chronic Lung Disease in Cotton Textile WorkersCotton Dust Standard 1 November 1982Volume 97, Issue 5Page: 772-774KeywordsClinical epidemiologyDisabilitiesLungsScientists Issue Published: 1 November 1982 PDF DownloadLoading ...