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/m(3) 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.