Health Behavior and Health Condition of Patients Exposed to Carbon Disulfide according to Exposure Level

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to garner useful information through a comparative analysis of health behaviors and health status between the low-dose carbon disulfide (CS2) exposure patients and the high-dose CS2 exposure patients. Methods: Among 910 retired workers who were recognized for carbon disulfide poisoning, 702 survived at the research period. A total of 596 people were selected for the study, except 106 people who refused to participate or were unable to express their opinions. We define the low-dose exposure group as those under 5 ppm, and the high-dose exposure group as those over 5 ppm. Results: Compared with the low-dose exposure patient, the high-dose exposure patient had a more frequent awakening during sleep and difficulty of dressing, toileting bathing, and food preparation. The high-dose exposure patient was vulnerable to anxiety and memory. In addition, the high-dose exposure patient felt hopeless more. The high-dose exposure patient lagged behind the low-dose exposure patient in sleep time and sleep quality. Conclusion: The vulnerability of the high-dose exposure patient in terms of mental and sleep health needs to be acknowledged as the various characteristics of the CS2 exposure patient that appears according to an exposure group. A variety of disease prevention and health promotion programs that focus on the health behavior and status of the low-dose exposure and the high-dose exposure patients need to be developed and put into practice.