Objective
To investigate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality among textile workers.
Methods
A total of 267 400 Chinese female textile employees were monitored for COPD mortality from 1989 to 2000. Textile factories in the cohort were classified into 10 industrial sectors. Age-adjusted mortality, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% CIs were calculated by sector. In addition, RRs (HRs) adjusted for smoking and age were calculated for exposure to cotton and silk textile work compared with the other sectors in the cohort.
Results
A majority of textile sectors had lower or similar COPD mortality (age-adjusted SMRs=0.58–1.15) compared with the general female population in the city of Nanjing, China. SMRs for cotton and silk workers were, respectively, 1.02 (95% CI: 0.81 to 1.28) and 2.03 (95% CI: 1.13 to 3.34). Compared with all other textile sectors in the cohort, there was greater COPD mortality among cotton workers (HR=1.40, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.89) and silk workers (HR=2.54, 95% CI: 1.47 to 4.39).
Conclusion
Elevated COPD mortality among cotton workers is consistent with previous reports of adverse respiratory effects of cotton dust. The higher rate of COPD deaths among silk workers was unexpected.
Novel DOPO/silicon/CNT nanohybrid flame retardants (FR-CNTs) were synthesized and FR-CNTs were introduced into epoxy resins through thermal curing process. The SEM and TEM results indicate that CNTs distribute uniformly in epoxy resins due to the good dispersion of CNTs in DOPO/silicon/CNT nanohybrid flame retardants. The thermal stability and flame-retardant properties of EP/FR-CNTs composites are improved, which is attributed to the good dispersion of DOPO/silicon/CNT nanohybrid. The cone calorimeter results demonstrate that FR-CNTs can reduce peak heat release and the release of toxic gas effectively compared with EP/CNTs and EP/CNT/FR composites. The char-residue analysis indicates that the improved flame-retardant properties are due to the char-reinforcing effects and the catalyzing charring effect of FR-CNTs, which provides enough time for flame retardants to trap radicals. Generally, the char layers, which act as insulating barrier, can reduce the releasing of flammable gases and protect the underlying epoxy resins from the heat source.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.