Document 71j7pBmrvR73nDEmdJD91XeYe

^Industrial Hygiene Digest December, 1962 In. 1160 Flax Workers* Byiiifto>i to tUit Scottwd. D. H. Smith, <tti $eot. 7, ZQl-iu (May 1962), (Scottish Medical Journal. 5 St* Vincent Place, l l Claigow C2, Scotland*1)* l A brief history of byssinosis In flax workers la given together with a description of the processes used in the preparation of flax and how they differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland* A survey of respiratory symptoms was carried out in 3 flax mills* Ninety-four i i II night workers were excluded. A questionnaire was completed on 452 (97%) of the remainder. Respiratory function teats were done on 9 persons with byssinosls and 8 matched control sub. jects. (is environmental measurements are reported. Eighty workers (17.7Jt) Had symptoms of byssinosis grade lor U. A further 10b (23%) were placed in an Indeterminate group on account of occasional chest tightness or other.symptoms on Mondays. A table of prevalence by length of dust exposure is given, showing that some workers develop symptoms within 6 months* No clear relationship between mill fever and subsequent symptoms of byssinosis was shown. The prevalence of bronchitis increased with the severity of byssinosis* A sigr.U t (leant association was shown between smoking and byssinosis, ; Bull. Hyg, l j 3 1161 Farmer*s Lung. Physiopathologic Features of the Acute Interstitial Cranolomatous Poeu- i rnonUla of Agricultural Workers* J. Rankin* et si. Ann. Internal Med* .57, 406-626 (Oct. 1962). a }!t Exposure to unusual quantities of moldy farm dusts occasionally results in sn easily recognised disease with distinct clinical physiologic, and pathologic features* The IK characteristic syndrome seen in 73 agricultural workers consisted of chills, fever, and dyspnea within a few hours after exposure to moldy farm dusts and the subsequent develop ments* diffuse interstitial pneumonitis* Eung biopsies from d patients during the subsiding phase of the disease revealed a specific acute granulomatous interstitial pneumonitis. Char, }acteristically, the sections showed epitheloid cells, poorly defined.tubercles, and giant cells of the Langhsns* type, together with thickening of (he alveolar septa which also were infiltra I ted with plasma cells and lymphocytes. Physiologic studies revealed the equally .characteris 4 tic syndrome of a stiff lung with a reduced diffusing capacity, and non-uniform distribution of regional ventilation and blood flow. The functional derangement correlated directly with the fl structural alterations seen in the histologic sections. The'lesion is usually reversible, but I progressive interstitial fibrosis occasionally will develop. This Unique disease probably will be encountered frequently in rural areas where climate conditions necessitate the storage of large quantities of winter forage. -- Authors* summary lit 1162 Progress of Pneumoconiosis in s Pottery. W. Krauas. ;l Z. ges. Hyg. u. ihre Grenagebiete jl, 10-18 (Jan. 1962). German. This investigation was made to ascertain if factors apart from duration and inten sity of exposure to dust played s part in determining the development, the course and prog ress of silicosis. Three hundred workers at the Kahla Pottery were grouped according to whether they suffered from silicosis |53), silicotuberculous (31), or were controls, with early exposure (57), or were healthy (I5d). They were also classified according to their exact occupations. The occupations varied greatly in the degree of exposure. Workers with the clay body were more exposed and suffered more readily than turners and much more than oven workers. The effect was net entirely dependent on the risk* Some of the oven work ers showed a S:ig# 211 silicosis after a very short exposure, although in 10 oven workers with an equal exposure there was no <hstatu. In the turners some workers had a Stage I silicosis after s much longer exposure than tome who had a Stage Ul. These re'sults show that workers may react differently to dust. It is pointed out that a familial and individual predisposition to dust may occur in the same way as there is a familial tendency to develop bronchitis. In the case of workers with silscotcocrculasii the exposure is shorter than in silicosis; the disease frequently arises in people having a family history of tuberculosis. Silicosis itself may occur familsalty; out of 93 patients who suffered from silicosis 20 came from families where the father, mother, or elsecr had silicosis. External factors influence the course and progrs"