[Lung function in workplace-related preventive studies]

Results of pulmonary function tests of 482 industrial workers with some professional exposure to lung irritants or dust are presented. The mean FEV1 is 99.6% of the expected value. There is no difference of the standardized FEV1 values which would give evidence of a relation to the estimated different occupational exposure levels. The influence of age, however, is obvious, and smoking habits affect the pulmonary function, too, as expected, which indicates that the methods applied for estimating and evaluating pulmonary function are valid.