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(1974). British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 31, 10-17. Impairment of nasal mucociliary clearance in woodworkers in the furniture industry. Measurements of mucociliary clearance from the anterior end of the middle turbinate were made using technetium-99m-labelled particles in nine woodworkers from the furniture industry and in 12 controls, none of whom had been occupationally exposed to wood dust. Clearance rates in the controls ranged from 1 9 to 18-5 mm min-' with a mean of 6-8. These values are in good agreement with measurements reported elsewhere for normal subjects. Only one of the woodworkers had a clearance rate which fell within the normal range and he had been occupationally exposed for the shortest period (6 years). In four woodworkers clearance was very slow (< 1 mm min-) and in three there was almost complete stasis. The results of this preliminary investigation suggest that nasal mucociliary function is significantl-y impaired in workers who have been exposed to wood dust in the furniture industry for more than 10 years.