Solid airborne particles generated by the evaporation of humidifier water have been found to contribute significantly to the total dust concentration found in typical cotton processing environments. Water samples obtained from a model card room at North Carolina State University contain about 114 ppm solids, 87% of which is inorganic. Water samples obtained from several cotton mills located in North Carolina had an inorganic content ranging between 60-70%. The inorganic solids from all water samples were prepared for Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) using an HCl-H₂O medium. In all instances, a small portion of the ashed solids was insoluble. AAS indicated that Ca, Na, K, Mg and Si were the major elements detected. Other elements detected include Cu, Al, Fe, Zn. Qualitatively, the elemental composition of the water solids investigated using this technique is quite similar. Quantitatively, however, a high variability exists for the inorganic material solids due to the geographic location of the water source especially for the major elements.