In March 1981, a joint meeting of interested parties from all segments of the cotton industry and government researchers was held at the Southern Regional Research Center to develop objective criteria for characterizing washed cotton. Scientists from this group agreed to make measurements on washed and unwashed cotton from the human panel acute exposure studies at USDA-Clemson(4/). Data obtained from these initial studies, some additional data, and statistical ana lyses on the four tests deemed most appropriate for cost efficient differentiation of washed and unwashed cotton will be discussed.