Development of a standardized pulmonary function evaluation program in industry

In industries where there are occupational exposures to dusts, fumes, and gases, employers should monitor periodically their employees' respiratory health, using both spirometric pulmonary function tests and respiratory symptoms questionnaires. To incorporate the recent American Thoracic Society recommendations of standardization in these areas into an industrial pulmonary function evaluation program, a three-day standardized pulmonary function evaluation course was developed by a respiratory epidemiologist with extensive spirometry experience and was offered to many of Alcoa's domestic plant medical departments. The course included spirometric pulmonary function testing and use of the ATS-DLD-78A respiratory symptoms questionnaire. The major points covered in the course, the quality control follow-up of the course, and the need for such a standardized pulmonary function evaluation program in a large company are described in this report.