The 1987 Beltwide Conference on Cotton Dust ended an eventful year for cotton dust research. In 1986 a monograph entitled "Washed Cotton: Washing Techniques, Processing Characteristics, and Health Effects" was published by the USDA. This Monograph is a compilation of results from several years of Study by the Industry/Government/Union Task Force for Washed Cotton. The focus of these studies was to define washing systems and washing conditions that would remove the causative agents of byssinosis from cotton. Data from these studies were used in 1985 by OSHA to revise the definition of washed cotton in the Cotton Dust Standard. Copies of this Monograph are available, from the Southern Regional Research Center of the USDA in New Orleans. While washing provided a means for removing the reactivity from cotton the potential for using the technology is limited because of cost and processing limitations of the washed fiber. The Task Force thus charged itself with ar expanded goal of developing a cost effective method of processing cotton to prevent byssinosis.