An evaluation of effect of airborne dust from a cotton mill on the guinea-pig ileum with reference to byssinosis.

The effect of airborne dust on the guinea-pig ileum was studied. Tyrode extracts of airborne dust collected freshly in the cardroom of a cotton mill, and extracts of air pollutant samples drawn on the roof of the mill and of the local town hall were all found to induce the guinea-pig ileum to contract when applied in a tissue-bath. However, the force of contraction with air pollutants was rather greater than that with the cardroom dust. Considering the variables involved, the ileum response to the cardroom dust may have been due to ordinary air pollutants which constitute a significant part of the dust. It is concluded that this pharmacological phenomenon is probably not relevant in the context of byssinosis.