Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health Health Risk Appraisal by

Ventilatory evaluation has been widely used to investigate occupational effects on the respiratory system. This paper reports on a cross-sectional epidemiological study in Singapore carried out on four different occupational groups. A total of 999 male workers were evaluated by a spirometer interphased with a microcomputer. Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) of each worker were measured. The results suggested that ventilatory capacities are significantly correlated to age and height. Smokers, however, did not differ significantly from non