Protecting Workers from Occupational Exposure Risks to Carbon Disulfide and Other Chemical Hazards

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes carbon disulfide as a colorless liquid with an ether-like odor. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reports that carbon disulfide evaporates at room temperature and the vapor is more than twice as heavy as air.

Carbon disulfide is used in many industries as a building block in organic chemistry and as an industrial solvent. NIOSH lists examples of some of the workers at potential risk of being exposed to carbon disulfide, they include:

• Factory workers who work where rubber is made or processed
• Workers involved in cellophane production
• Employees who work in factories where rayon fabric is made
• Employees involved in the production of carbon tetrachloride

“Exposure to carbon disulfide typically happens by breathing contaminated air or skin contact,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “NIOSH cautions that exposure can cause dizziness, poor sleep, headache, anxiety, anorexia, weight loss and vision changes, and that carbon disulfide can harm the eyes, kidneys, blood, heart, liver, nerves and skin. ATSDR warns breathing very high levels can be life threatening because of its effects on the nervous system. To protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for carbon disulfide. Cal/OSHA also has its own PEL, and back in 1989, it was added to California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive and developmental toxicity.”

Working with companies and institutions that utilize carbon disulfide and other industrial chemicals to protect their workers from chemical exposure risks are the industrial hygiene professionals at CSC. They offer testing, monitoring, consulting and training services to safeguard employees and to help employers comply with federal and state health and safety standards. CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about carbon disulfide and occupational exposure hazards that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/Subn7aBxINU

To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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