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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

CARBON DISULFIDE 

CAS#: 75-15-0 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Carbon 

Disulfide. It is one in a series of Public Health 

Statements about hazardous substances and their 

health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM is 

also available. This information is important 

because this substance may harm you. The effects 

of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on 

the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, 

personal traits and habits, and whether other 

chemicals are present. For more information, call 

the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. 

This public health statement tells you about carbon 

disulfide and the effects of exposure. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in 

the nation. These sites make up the National 

Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites targeted for 

long-term federal cleanup. Carbon disulfide has 

been found in at least 200 of the 1,430 current or 

former NPL sites. However, it's unknown how 

many NPL sites have been evaluated for this 

substance. As more sites are evaluated, the sites 

with carbon disulfide may increase. This 

information is important because exposure to this 

substance may harm you and because these sites 

may be sources of exposure. 

When a substance is released from a large area, 

such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such 

as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This 

release does not always lead to exposure. You can 

be exposed to a substance only when you come into 

contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking the substances or by skin 

contact. 

If you are exposed to carbon disulfide, many factors 

determine whether you'll be harmed. These factors 

include the dose (how much), the duration (how 

long), and how you come in contact with it. You 

must also consider the other chemicals you're 

exposed to and your age, sex, diet, family traits, 

life-style, and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS CARBON DISULFIDE? 

Pure carbon disulfide is a colorless liquid with a 

pleasant odor that smells sweet. The impure carbon 

disulfide that is usually used in most industrial 

processes, however, is a yellowish liquid with an 

unpleasant odor like that of rotting radishes. Carbon 

disulfide evaporates at room temperature, and the 

vapor is more than twice as heavy as air. Carbon 

disulfide easily explodes in air and also catches fire 

very easily. 

In nature, small amounts of carbon disulfide are 

found in gases released to the earth's surface, for 

example, in volcanic eruptions or over marshes. 

Microorganisms in the soil can also produce gas 

containing carbon disulfide. Commercial carbon 

disulfide is made by combining carbon and sulfur at 

very high temperatures. Several industries use 

carbon disulfide as a raw material to make such 

things as rayon, cellophane, and carbon 

tetrachloride. Currently, the largest user of this 

chemical is the viscose rayon industry. Carbon 

disulfide is also used to dissolve rubber to produce 

tires and as a raw material to make some pesticides. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

CARBON DISULFIDE 

CAS#: 75-15-0 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO CARBON 

DISULFIDE WHEN IT ENTERS THE 

ENVIRONMENT? 

Carbon disulfide evaporates rapidly when released 

to the environment. The amount of carbon disulfide 

released into the air through natural processes is 

difficult to judge because it is in such small 

amounts in nature. This also makes it hard to 

monitor carbon disulfide and to explain how it 

behaves when it comes into contact with other 

compounds. Most carbon disulfide in the air and in 

surface water is from manufacturing and processing 

activities. However, it is found naturally in coastal 

and ocean waters. Carbon disulfide has also been 

found in the groundwater and soil at some EPA 

research sites around the country, but the number of 

research sites that have carbon disulfide is small. 

Once released to the environment, carbon disulfide 

moves quickly to the air. Once in the air, carbon 

disulfide stays close to the ground because it is 

heavier than the surrounding air. It is estimated that 

carbon disulfide will break down into simpler 

components after approximately 12 days. Carbon 

disulfide moves through soils fairly quickly. Carbon 

disulfide accidentally released to soils normally 

evaporates rapidly. However, since carbon disulfide 

does not bind tightly to soils, the amount that does 

not evaporate can easily move down through the 

soil into groundwater. Since it is very mobile, it is 

not likely to stay in the soil long enough to be 

broken down. It does not remain very long in water 

either because it evaporates within minutes. 

However, if dissolved in water, it is relatively stable 

and is not easily broken down. It is estimated that 

carbon disulfide is not taken up in significant 

amounts by the organisms living in water. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

CARBON DISULFIDE? 

Carbon disulfide can enter your body if you breath 

air, drink water, or eat foods that contain it. You can 

also be exposed by skin contact with soil, water, or 

other substances that contain it. Oceans are a major 

natural source. The amount of carbon disulfide 

found in the air from natural sources such as 

volcanoes is so low that good measurements are not 

available from many areas. One measurement 

shows that carbon disulfide produced by marshes 

contributes less than 8% of the sulfur in the upper 

atmosphere. 

Small amounts of carbon disulfide can enter the air 

by evaporation and as a by-product of several 

manufacturing processes. It is not clear how long 

carbon disulfide stays in the air. Estimates range 

from 1 to 10 weeks. The people most often exposed 

to carbon disulfide are workers in plants that use 

carbon disulfide in their manufacturing processes. 

The main way they are exposed is through the air, 

and secondarily the skin. Carbon disulfide has also 

been found in small amounts in some drinking 

water in the United States. 

1.4 HOW CAN CARBON DISULFIDE ENTER 

AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Most people are exposed to carbon disulfide by 

breathing air that contains it. Carbon disulfide easily 

and rapidly enters your bloodstream through the 

lungs. Carbon disulfide can also enter your body 

through your skin, or by eating or drinking foods 

that are contaminated with the chemical. About 10-

30% of carbon disulfide that the body absorbs 

leaves through the lungs; less than 1% leaves in the 

urine. The rest of the absorbed carbon disulfide (70-

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

CARBON DISULFIDE 

CAS#: 75-15-0 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

90%) is changed in the body and leaves the body in 

the urine in the form of other chemicals. Small 

amounts of carbon disulfide also leave the body in 

sweat and saliva. 

1.5 HOW CAN CARBON DISULFIDE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

At very high levels (10,000 parts of carbon disulfide 

per million parts [ppm] of air), carbon disulfide may 

be life threatening because of its effects on the 

nervous system. Studies in animals show that high 

levels of carbon disulfide can damage the heart. 

People who breathed carbon disulfide near an 

accident involving a railroad car showed changes in 

breathing and some chest pains. Among workers 

who breathed about 8 ppm, some developed very 

slight changes in their nerves. Some workers who 

breathed more than 20 ppm during working hours 

for at least 6 months had headaches, tiredness, and 

trouble sleeping. However, the workers may have 

been exposed to other chemicals besides carbon 

disulfide. The current standard for exposure in the 

workplace is 20 ppm over an 8-hour day and a 5-

day work week. 

Studies in animals indicate that carbon disulfide can 

affect the normal functions of the brain, liver, and 

heart. However, the amount of carbon disulfide in 

the air to which animals in these studies were 

exposed was much higher than the amounts in the 

air that the general public usually breathes. The 

brains, livers, and hearts of the animals were 

affected only after breathing air that contained 

carbon disulfide for days, months, or years. After 

pregnant rats breathed 225 ppm carbon disulfide in 

the air, some of the newborn rats died or had birth 

defects. 

There is no information on health effects in people 

who eat food or drink water contaminated with 

carbon disulfide. Animals fed food that contained 

carbon disulfide developed liver and heart disease, 

and some showed abnormal behavior. These 

amounts, however, were very much higher than 

those that occur in drinking water supplies. When 

pregnant animals received large doses of carbon 

disulfide in their diet, some of the newborns died or 

had birth defects. 

Skin contact with spilt carbon disulfide can lead to 

burns at the contact site. In studies that examined 

the harmful effects of skin contact with carbon 

disulfide, workers in a rayon plant who handled 

fibers made with carbon disulfide for more than 14 

days developed blisters on their fingers. Rabbits 

developed blisters and ulcers on the treated areas of 

their ears. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO CARBON DISULFIDE? 

Carbon disulfide itself can be measured in breath, 

urine, and blood. It breaks down in the body into 

other chemical substances called metabolites. These 

substances can be found and measured in the urine. 

After carbon disulfide enters your body, these 

substances reach higher levels than normally found. 

One chemical test using urine can be done to tell 

whether the levels of these breakdown substances 

from carbon disulfide are higher than normal. This 

test requires special equipment and is not routinely 

available in a doctor's office. The test is not specific 

for carbon disulfide exposure because other 

chemicals can also produce these metabolites. 

Therefore, it cannot be used to find out exactly how 

much carbon disulfide you were exposed to or to 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

CARBON DISULFIDE 

CAS#: 75-15-0 

Division of Toxicology August 1996 

predict whether you'll be harmed. Also, the test can 

only be used if you have breathed in at least 16 

ppm; this test can be used for determining longer 

term exposure to carbon disulfide. A second test 

based on a specific metabolite is more sensitive and 

specific. It also requires special equipment and 

cannot tell you exactly how much carbon disulfide 

you were exposed to or predict whether you'll be 

harmed. Carbon disulfide leaves the body quickly in 

the breath and in the urine. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government has set regulations to 

protect individuals from the possible health effects 

of eating, drinking, or breathing carbon disulfide. 

The EPA suggested that taking into your body each 

day an amount equal to 0.1 mg (milligram) of 

carbon disulfide per kg (kilogram) of your body 

weight is not likely to cause any significant 

(noncancer) harmful health effects. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) regulates levels of carbon disulfide in the 

workplace. OSHA requires that workroom air 

contain no more than an average of 20 ppm of 

carbon disulfide over an 8-hour working shift for 5 

consecutive days in a work week. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) recommends that the average 

workroom air levels of carbon disulfide not exceed 

1 ppm over a 10-hour period. 

1.8 WHERE CAN I GET MORE 

INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, 

please contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department or: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology 

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Information line and technical assistance: 

Phone: 888-422-8737 

FAX: (770)-488-4178 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

To order toxicological profiles, contact: 

National Technical Information Service 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000 

Reference 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 1996. Toxicological profile for carbon 

disulfide. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, Public Health Service. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov