DISCUSSION This cross sectional study in 930 workers in the wood working industry mainly exposed to meranti wood dust has not been able to show a clear relation between current exposure or cumulative exposure (median:17.5;range:9–26 mg/m3 .years) to inhalable wood dust and nasal inflammation or various lungfunctionindices.Ontheotherhandyearsofemployment was a significant predictor of loss of lung function measured by spirometric indices, but only among men. Among the women, who did not smoke at all, no effect of years of employment on lung function was found. The absence of a relation in women can be explained by a negative trend of the percentage of women with increasing exposure, the lower exposure-years,and the use of a protective mask by women in general.