Objective — the purpose of the study was to determine functional status of the respiratory system and suggest a scientific framework for health preservation in industrial workers that have been exposed to silicon-containing aerosols. Material and methods. A prospective randomized study was done of workers (n=81) with no apparent health issues, employed in fireclay silica refractories (FSR) manufacturing or crystalline silicon production. Press operators employed at FSR manufacturing and furnace operators employed at crystalline silicon production, age 34—64, with working experience in harmful conditions 4—37 years, were studied while being through a routine medical check at YMRC. Total Lung Capacity (TLC), Residual Volume (RV), Functional Residual Capacity, RV/TLC ratio, airway resistance by body plethysmography (BPG), single-breath diffusing capacity (DC) by carbon monoxide were determined. Results. 11% of subjects showed impaired ventilation function, 42% had gas exchange problems. In workers employed at FSR production, obstructive (5%) and mixed (5%) types of lung ventilation disorders were observed. Workers in silicon production showed all three types of lung ventilation disorders: obstructive (7.3%), restrictive (2.4%) and mixed (2.4%). Gas exchange could be impaired through 4 scenarios. FSR workers typically had type I disorder (62.5%), whereas crystalline silicon production workers faced I (33.4%), II (27.7%) and IV (33.4%) types of the disorder with equal chance for each type. Conclusions. BPG and DC tests are strongly recommended as diagnostic tools to identify the initial reversible ventilation/perfusion impairments in workers that have been employed in crystalline silicon production over 8 years or at FSR refractories production over 12 years. The main idea of prophylactic and rehabilitative strategies is that they must prevent functional changes turning to structural alterations. These strategies need to be designed based on an individual case history and consider the disorders identified with respect to respiratory mechanics and gas exchange.