[Value of cardiopulmonary function tests in the evaluation of dust-exposed patients].

On the basis of many years of own experience and evaluating a large number of judgements on exposure to silicogenic dusts-the results of those are reported at a different place-, a scale of function tests for judgement of silicosis is presented and discussed. It consists of largely applicable tests (examination of ventilation and arterial blood gases at rest and with standardized exercise). The results, in a modification of Knipping's method, are proposed in form of a table for scaling of bodily impairment. The importance of a solidly based first judgement is stressed.