Investigation into Airborne Dust ina Wool Textile Mill

Abstract

Airborne dust samples were gathered from the vicinity of various commonly performed processes in the wool-preparation industry. Samples of airborne wool dust were collected on membrane filters during the processing of wool lots. The chemical composition of the inorganic particles present in the total inspirable and respirable dust fractions was determined with the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The widely differing morphologies of the particles collected raise questions about the validity of trying to correlate minor respiratory symptoms with dust concentrations, as some particle types will penetrate the respiratory system more easily than others. The results are discussed with respect to the sampling methodology used.