Scholarly record

CARBON DISULFIDE EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT IN A BULGARIAN VISCOSE PLANT

H. Kopcheva, T. Panev

Abstract

Carbon disulfide is a well-known occupational hazard in viscose industry. With a view to improvement of the work conditions in the viscose industry was made an exposure assessment to carbon disulfide of different work groups in a plant for manufacturing viscose in Bulgaria. The study involved 76 workers from three different shops in the plant, exposed to different levels of carbon disulfide. The control group comprised 26 individuals from the same region without occupational exposure. The sampling strategy for this task covered the organization of average shift sampling for all operators from the plant. The personal exposure in the workers’ breathing area was measured. The samples for quantitative analysis were collected on sorbent tubes filled with activated charcoal. A drying tube filled with silicagel was mounted before the sorbent tube in order to prevent the effect of high air humidity. The air samples were taken by low-flow personal pumps. The analysis of the collected average shift samples was made with a method validated by us, based on National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health method 1600/1994. The test was made with a gas chromatograph with mass selective detector “ The measured average shift concentrations in the “Spinning” shop showed that the level of workers’ exposure to carbon disulfide there was 1.2 to 4.1 times the TLV for 8-hour exposure. For technological process operators carbon disulfide concentrations were within the 8-hour TLV, only two samples exceeded 1.3 times the TLV. The operators of the acid station also provided samples within the limits with only one sample exceeding 1.7 times the TLV. The measured control average shift concentrations revealed that the level of exposure to carbon disulfide is below the LOD of the method (0,01mg/m3). The results obtained for repair staff showed values from below the 8-hour TLV.

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