Antioxidative stress response in workers exposed to carbon disulfide

Objective: To study the effects of carbon disulfide (CS₂) on antioxidative stress systems of exposed workers. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and thiobarbituric acid test (BAT) were conducted on 67 exposed workers and 88 controlled ones in a viscose rayon factory to determine their serum cuprozinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels. Results: The average levels of CuZnSOD in workers exposed to CS₂ both above and below 10 mg/m³ were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.0001), showing some dose-effect and dose-response relationships. SOD levels increased when the exposure index (EI) was less than 300, and remained at a high level at the range of 300 to 900. When EI was higher than 900, SOD tended to decrease. Meanwhile, the serum MDA levels increased. Both CS₂ concentrations and exposure time contribute to the MDA levels. Conclusions: CS₂ exposure could influence the stress response of the oxidative-antioxidative system of workers. Increased SOD levels could be considered as the stress response of antioxidative system to CS₂ exposure in the early stages, and the influence of CS₂ on SOD might be bi-directional. SOD and MDA might become objective indices in workers' health surveillance. The role of these two indices in the intoxication mechanism still needs to be clarified. Received: 3 August 1999 / Accepted: 25 April 2000