Longitudinal field study of lung function in scuba divers - a progress report

There have been relatively few studies examining the prevalence and characteristics of lung function changes occurring in recreational scuba divers. A pilot study conducted by the author identified a number of divers with low FEV,/FVC ratios.' The current field study, using spirometry for the assessment of lung function in recreational scuba divers, has two objectives: 1. To identify the physiological effects of recreational seawater scuba diving on lung function. 2. To monitor forced expired air volume in one second (FEV1) in a cohort of divers over a period of three years. This project is on-going, and this report summarises the work done in 2006. (non-author abstract