Viscose was hailed as a revolutionary product, made using cellulose from wood or bamboo pulp. It can imitate the feel and texture of many natural fibres such as cotton, wool, silk, and linen - depending on the grade and type of the material. What makes it so special is its ability to emulate the texture and 'feel' of silk, a very expensive product, at a much lower price point, making it accessible to the masses.
The manufacturing process takes cellulose, breaks it down, and then reforms the cellulose into a more organised linear chain in the form of a fibre (it's also a polymer like nylon). Other than the wood or bamboo pulp needed to supply the cellulose, carbon disulfide is used to break down the cellulose.
Although carbon disulfide seems like a simple and harmless chemical - after all its just carbon dioxide but with two sulfur atoms replacing the oxygen - our exposure to it is extremely detrimental to human health.
Effects of carbon disulfide on human health
Carbon disulfide is a volatile liquid at room temperature - the term volatile refers to substances that vaporises easily. This means that carbon disulfide produces fumes at room temperature easily. These fumes can be easily inhaled and since it exists as a liquid at room temperature, addition avenues of exposure can occur through ingestion, as well as being absorbed through the skin (1).
The health effects that carbon disulfide exposure causes vary according to the concentration of carbon disulfide exposure (2):
Acute or subacute exposure (160 ppm - 963 ppm): Predominantly neurological and psychiatric symptoms such as "irritability, anger, mood changes, manic delirium and hallucinations, paranoiac ideas, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal disturbances and sexual disorders."
Exposure between ( 32 ppm - 160 ppm): "Neurological and vascular health effects on the eyes."
Longterm exposure over 10-15 years at around 3.2 ppm: Small loss of function of nerves along with an increased pain threshold
Some countries have reported higher risk of coronary heart disease.
That doesn't sound too good does it? On the bright side, in the air, carbon dioxide breaks down in about 12 days, and doesn't stay in water for too long due to its volatility. But, carbon disulfide remains very stable when in water, though the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports that it is not ingested in "significant amounts" by living things in the water.
What can we do?
So in short, exposure to carbon disulfide generally occurs in viscose factory workers. Even with better technology today, exposure to carbon disulfide is a very real possibility for workers producing viscose. Even if it doesn't directly impact us consumers, we should try our best to avoid consuming products such as viscose that causes so many negative externalities to others.
Thanks for reading!
Yours truly,
Bremen
Reference
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. "ATSDR - Public Health Statement: Carbon Disulfide." Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Last modified January 21, 2015. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=472&tid=84.
World Health Organisation. "Carbon disulfide." WHO Regional Office for Europe. Last modified 2000. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/123058/AQG2ndEd_5_4carbodisulfide.PDF.
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