[Urinary excretion of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) after antabuse administration to workers chronically exposed to carbon disulfide].

Djuricz's antabus test has been applied in a group chronically exposed to carbon disulphide. Sixty eight viscose industry workers hospitalized in the Clinic of Occupational Diseases, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lódź, have been examined along with controls. In all subjects, after oral administration of antabus, the content of diethyldithiocarbamates (DDC) was determined in a 5 hr urine sample. The mean values of excreted DDC have indicated a statistically significant decrease in those chronically CS2 exposed, as compared to the controls. The dependence of DDC excretion on the duration of work in exposure has indicated a clear decrease in the values in those chronically exposed as compared to those exposed for a short time. The obtained results confirm the observations of other authors on DDC excretion decrease in CS2 exposed workers, demonstrating simultaneously some effects of chronic CS2 exposure on antabus metabolism.