Placental transfer, secretion into mother milk of carbon disulphide and the effects on maternal function of female viscose rayon workers

Abstract

In a survey of rayon factories where CS2 in air was 37-56 mg/m3, female spinners exposed to CS2 showed higher incidence of menstrual disturbance and pregnancy toxemia than the non-exposed finishers. The umbilical blood obtained from a spinner contained 5 µg/100 ml of CS2. Milk from 13 breast-feeding spinners during working hours also contained 2.8-18.6 µg/100 ml of CS2. CS2 was further detected in the milk at the end of work, before the work in the morning, or even 23 to 56 days off the job. Correspondingly, CS2, 1.6 to 7.1 µg/100 ml, was present in the urine in 5 cases out of 10 breast-fed babies whose mothers were exposed to CS2. These findings indicate that the exposure to CS2 can affect the maternal function of female workers if CS2 concentration in air is considerably high, and that CS2 can reach the fetuses through the placenta or babies via mother milk when the pregnant or breast-feeding workwomen are exposed to CS2. Close attention should be paid to the possible effect of CS2 on fetuses and breast-fed babies in addition to the health of the CS2-exposed working mothers. © 1981, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. All rights reserved.