Long-term Effects of Professional Diving

Summary

The study of possible long-term effects of diving is limited by certain constraints including definitions (subject, diving exposure, etc.) and other variables. The range and intensity of diving activity in terms of time, frequency, depth, gas mixtures, etc. is large and the same individual may be exposed to a wide variety of conditions over a working lifetime. Divers themselves are highly self selected and the nature of their work makes epidemiological follow-up for scientific purposes difficult. Nevertheless bone necrosis has been successfully investigated in a group of professional divers and the study of even small numbers of divers with neurological defects associated with diving is likely to produce important information. The Decompression Sickness Central Registry in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne is in a unique position to contribute to the long-term study of professional divers but there are difficult problems arising from current economic pressures and the need to maintain good records over a sufficiently long period of time.