A cross-sectional medical and industrial hygiene survey of workers exposed to carbon disulfide.

In 1979, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a cross-sectional medical and industrial hygiene survey of workers exposed to carbon disulfide in the manufacture of rayon staple. The purpose of the study was to define dose-response relationships at levels near the existing United States standard of 20 ppm. The plant chosen has been historically well controlled, with levels between 10 and 30 ppm for most of its history. Medical tests were designed to examine effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems, on the cardiovascular system (including the retinal vessels), on carbohydrate, trace mineral, and lipid metabolism, on testicular function, and on thyroid function. This paper describes the plant, the exposed and reference populations, and the tests used to determine the health effects of carbon disulfide. The data are still being analyzed, but preliminary evidence suggests that carbon disulfide exposure at levels below the present standard of 20 ppm is associated with adverse effects. On the basis of the analysis completed to date the safety of the standard of 1 ppm recommended by NIOSH does not appear to be established.