Natural organic fibers--health effects.

OBJECTIVES: Natural organic fibers are used in large quantities in the production of paper products and textiles. They are also constituents of food and added to food to promote health. The objective of this review is to evaluate the health effects of natural organic fibers. The health effects of dietary fibers are excluded from the review.
METHODS: This is a literature review.
RESULTS: Exposure to these fibers in industry is usually not characterized as fibers but as dust. Rather dusty conditions have been reported in both paper and textile industries with concentrations up to and above 30 mg/m3. Both in the paper and textile industry inorganic fibers may occur making it hard to evaluate health effects of natural organic fibers from studies of workers in the paper and textile industry. There seems to be no increased risk of mesothelioma, lung cancer or lung fibrosis in workers exposed to natural organic fibers in contrast to workers exposed to inorganic crystalline fibers as asbestos. However, workers with a heavy exposure to paper dust or textile dust seem to have an increased risk of obstructive lung disease and bronchitis. These effects have not been causally linked to the fibrous 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 in the textile industry may increase the risk of sinonasal cancer, but the etiological agents are unknown.
CONCLUSION: Natural organic fibers are not causally linked with the well-known effects of some inorganic fibers, i.e. mesothelioma, lung cancer, lung fibrosis or some pleural diseases. The health effects of natural organic fibers, e.g. irritative effects, seem not to be linked to their fibrous shape.