gertrude brown has byssinosis, more commonly known as brown-lung disease. 20% of her fellow textile workersperhaps as many as 150,000 americans, suffer from the ailment. the disease is caused by inhaling cotton dust and fiber, that are by-products of textile manufacturing. growing public awareness of brown-lung disease was a prime force behind the passage of the occupational safety and health act in 1970. as competition increased and profits shrank, businessmen, workers, and the government asked how much we should spend to protect workers. throughout the 1970s, the american textile industry was locked in a struggle against foreign competition. asian competitors were undercutting american mills. the american textile industry was spending millions to protect worker health. asian textile industries spent almost nothing. faced with this competition, the u.s. industry looked to cut costs. o.s.h.a., the occupational safety and health adminstration, told business to spend more, not less. o.s.h.a. proposed tough, new standards for cotton dust. w.o. leonard recalls the industry's reaction. we wanted