Natural organic fibers - health effects

Objectives: Natural organic fibers are used in large quantities in the prod uction of paper products and textiles. They are also constituents of food a nd added to food to promote health. The objective of this review is to eval uate the health effects of natural organic fibers. The health effects of di etary fibers are excluded from the review. Methods., This is a literature r eview. Results: Exposure to these fibers in industry is usually not charact erized as fibers but as dust. Rather dusty conditions have been reported in both paper and textile industries with concentrations up to and above 30 m g/m(3). Both in the paper and textile industry inorganic fibers may occur m aking it hard to evaluate health effects of natural organic fibers from stu dies of workers in the paper and textile industry. There seems to be no inc reased risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer or lung fibrosis in workers expose d to natural organic fibers in contrast to workers exposed to inorganic cry stalline fibers as asbestos. However, workers with a heavy exposure to pape r dust or textile dust seem to have an increased risk of obstructive lung d isease and bronchitis. These effects have not been causally linked to the f ibrous shape of the particles but rather to the dust, chemicals absorbed on the dust or microorganisms occurring together with the dust. There is some indication that work pe in the textile industry may increase the risk of s inonasal cancer, but the etiological agents are unknown. Conclusion: Natura l organic fibers are not causally linked with the well-known effects of som e inorganic fibers, i.e. mesothelioma, lung cancer, lung fibrosis or some p leural diseases. The health effects of natural organic fibers, e.g. irritat ive effects, seem not to be linked to their fibrous shape.