| Abstract |
A walk through survey was conducted at Courtaulds North America, Inc., (SIC-2823), Mobile, Alabama on July 21-22 1977. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the factory for possible inclusion in a NIOSH study on the medical and reproductive effects of carbon-disulfide (CS2) exposure. The viscose rayon work force consisted of 750 production workers, and all but one were males. The average age was 42, and 80 to 85 percent were married. The factory was surveyed periodically for CS2 vapors, and samples were analyzed by spectrophotometry. Concentrations of CS2 ranged from 0 to 75 parts per million (ppm) in operating areas; average concentrations ranged from 4 to 20 ppm. Personal breathing zone samples ranged from 1 to 57ppm, with averages from 4 to 15ppm. Employees received annual blood profiles, pulmonary function tests, audiometric tests, and vision tests. In 1 year, there were 28 lost work-day injuries. The operations reported to have the greatest CS2 exposure during the industrial process were spinning and cutting. The churning and mixing operations were also expected to produce CS2 vapors. However, those operations were never monitored. NIOSH concludes that potential health hazards at the factory include exposure to carbon-disulfide, hydrogen-sulfide, noise, sodium-hydroxide, and sulfuric-acid. |
