AbstractThe nature of sampling from a dust cloud containing fine dust and lint fragments is reviewed. The definition of “respirable cotton dust” in the OSHA Cotton Dust Standard is compared and contrasted with the quantity measured by the NIOSH (Lumsden‐Lynch) vertical elutriator (VE) cotton dust sampler. Theoretical and empirical factors that affect the accuracy and precision of VE measurements are discussed. Technologies for alternative sampling strategies and for improving VE sampling are described.