TY - JOUR T1 - Reference values for spirometry of the European Coal and Steel Community: time for change JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 687 LP - 688 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00145507 VL - 31 IS - 3 AU - P. Degens AU - R. Merget Y1 - 2008/03/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/31/3/687.2.abstract N2 - To the Editors: Recently, an American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Task Force suggested the need for a new Europe-wide study to derive updated reference equations for lung function 1. Until the results of such a study become available (we have been waiting for new reference values in Europe for ∼25 yrs), the official reference values in Europe are still those implemented by the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) 2 and the ERS 3. The ATS/ERS Task Force has not commented on newer reference values for spirometry derived from the Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Disease in Adults (SAPALDIA) 4, 5. It has previously been pointed out that the main differences between … ER -