Improved sampling and analytical method for airborne carbon disulfide measurement in the workplace

Occupational risk factors for hypertension

The identification and characterization of the modifiable risk factors of hypertension is of great value for public health and clinical medicine to achieve primary prevention. A large amount of literature on the effects of occupational factors on blood pressure and hypertension has been published. In this review, I summarize current evidence regarding the role of occupational factors in hypertension. The results of this review suggest that there is sufficient evidence to support the association between increased risk of hypertension and job stress, shift work, occupational lead exposure, and noise exposure. The association of hypertension with physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, and occupational exposure to mercury, arsenic, cadmium, or carbon disulfide remains inconclusive, although several studies have reported this finding. This review will serve as a step toward future research and provide baseline information for developing strategic interventions to prevent hypertension in the working population.

Risk for hypertension in workers exposed to carbon disulfide in the viscose rayon industry

BACKGROUND

Chronic exposure to carbon disulfide (CS(2)) has been associated with hypertension, elevated cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, ischemic heart disease and related mortality, adverse nervous and reproductive health effects, and hearing impairment. This study assessed the hypertension risk for male rayon workers exposed to CS(2).

METHODS

A total of 251 rayon workers and 226 administrative clerks at two plants in Taiwan received health examination and interviews, and were compared for hypertension risk. On-site CS(2) levels were measured.

RESULTS

The hypertension was more prevalent in the exposure group (43.4%) than in controls (7.1%) with greater impact on systolic blood pressure than diastolic. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant dose-response relationship between hypertensive risk and cumulative exposure index (CEI) with an odds ratio of 15.1 for workers exposed to 343-468 year-ppm of CS(2). The overall risk was elevated to 7.6 times higher for rayon workers. The risk increased significantly after more than 10 years of employment.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that it takes a long exposure period to develop hypertension for rayon workers with CS(2) exposure.

Electrocardiographic Abnormality for Workers Exposed to Carbon Disulfide at a Viscose Rayon Plant

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated electrocardiography (ECG) manifestations for male workers with carbon disulfide exposure at rayon manufacturing plants.

METHODS

A total of 251 men in the exposure group and 226 administrative clerks in the reference group received physical examinations and completed questionnaires.

RESULTS

The prevalence of ECG abnormalities was much higher in the carbon disulfide exposure group (25.9%, n = 65) than in the reference group (2.7%, n = 6), with an odds ratio (OR) of 12.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.4-30.2). The foremen were at the highest risk of abnormal ECG (OR = 20.6, 95% CI = 6.5-65.2), followed by filament-spinning workers (OR = 14.2, 95% CI = 5.7-35.3), viscose-manufacturing workers (OR = 11.3, 95% CI = 4.3-30.1), and carbon disulfide-manufacturing workers (OR = 8.1, 95% CI = 2.7-25.6). The multivariate logistic regression analysis based on cumulative exposure index also showed a dose-response relationship with the exposure, and the risk of ECG abnormality could be initiated at the exposure history of 31 to 57 year-ppm with an OR of 7.2 (95% CI = 1.5-36.7).

CONCLUSIONS

In general, the ECG abnormalities observed in workers at the permissible exposure level of carbon disulfide implicate the importance of environmental control of the chemical and of workers' education in exposure prevention at work.