A Study of the Peripheral Neuropathy among the Workers Exposed to Carbon Disulfide

이황화탄소에 폭로된 근로자들의 말초신경병증에 관한 연구

Neurotoxicity in the workplace may occur with exposure to scores of chemicals. Although large acute outbreaks of the occupational neurological disease are rare, the incidence of occupational neurotoxicity in its subtler aspects is unknown. A working knowledge of both the major occupational neurotoxic solvents and the tools used by cliniical neurologists and neurotoxicologists to evaluate neurotoxicity in working populations is a necessity fur the occupational physician. To investigate the effects of carbon disulfide($CS_2$) on the peripheral nerve system using the nervous conduction study, 105 male workers working in the spinning room of a viscose rayon factory were examined and compared with a sex and age matched, unexposed 105 male controls using t-test analysis. 72.4% of $CS_2$-exposed workers complained of neurological symptoms, and the abnormal cases in nerve conduction study were 48.6%. The abnormal cases of nerve conduction study increased in number according as the age and duration of exposure increased. In this study, asymptomatic workers were confirmed to have subclinical neuropathy by nerve conduction study. Also as there were abnormal cases even in its duration of exposure below 4 years, nerve conduction study turned out to be ways of discovering of early peripheral neuropathy. In nerve conduction study, the amplitude, velocity, F-wave latency and H-reflex of the motor and sensory nerves in both upper and lower extremities were significant different between $CS_2$-exposed workers and the controls. From the pathological viewpoint, both segmental and axonal degenerations were assumed in this study.