A 10-year follow-up study of a group of workers exposed to isocyanates

The ventilatory capacity of 68 workers who were exposed to isocyanates was determined. Forty-two of the workers had been studied in 1971. The overall ventilatory capacity of the subjects fell within the predicted range except that two subjects, both of whom were smokers, had minimal obstruction. No significant shift decrement was noted in any of the subjects. There was no evidence to suggest that an excess decrement in ventilatory capacity occurred during the period of observation; however, exposure to isocyanates had been well within the then-extant time-weighted average.