Capitate hairs on cotton textile wastes.

ABSTRACT

Bract and leaf samples from growing cotton plants and from cotton textile wastes were examined by scanning electron microscopy to determine if intact capitate hairs are important components fo raw cotton wastes. The density of capitate hairs on bract and leaf fragments in raw cotton was similar to that found on bracts and leaves from greenhouse and field collections. A bale of strict low middling raw cotton contains between 1.23 an 2.54 X 10(8) capitate hairs of bract origin alone. Capitate hairs could be important components of cotton textile wastes because of their abundance and because they contain chemicals that may be involved in the cause of respiratory disease in textile workers.