title: Respiratory effects of long-term exposure to cotton dust.
abstract: Traditionally, the concept of cotton dust-related disease focused on acute airway responses. A possible connection of long-term exposure to cotton dust with chronic obstructive airway disease was not addressed until the past two decades. This review summarizes the latest findings relevant to this topic that were observed from longitudinal cohort studies and discusses the relation between acute airway responses and chronic losses of lung function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Occupational Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. dchris@hohp.harvard.edu
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Christiani
authors.forename: Xiao-Rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002095:Byssinosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D032561:Cotton Fiber; D003368:Gossypium / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology; D013783:Textile Industry; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology