According to a study conducted in Malaysia, the workers in a textile mill are at three times higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, an immune system disorder that causes weakening, swelling, and pain in the joints.

The findings of the study suggest that the environmental factors play a major role in triggering the disorder, which in a textile mill, is breathing textile dust. Other than that, a commonly known risk factor for the disease is smoking. It has been found out that textile dust might cause changes in the lung tissues, which may trigger the immune response that leads to rheumatoid arthritis in individuals with genetic risk factors for the disease. While more research is needed to prove direct connection between textile dust and the disorder, use of respiratory protections that prevent inhalation of textile dust can benefit the textile mill workers. Textile dust might contain nanoparticles of carbon which have the potential to alter the environment inside the lungs and trigger an autoimmune response that leads to rheumatoid arthritis.

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The study was conducted on 910 women with rheumatoid arthritis and another 910 similar women of the same age, without the ailment. Women were chosen for the study as they are less likely to smoke than their male counterparts. Out of the women with rheumatoid arthritis, 4.5 per cent had been exposed to textile dust at work, while only 1.7 per cent had been exposed to dust among the women without the disease.