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Pau-Chung Chen,¹ Yu-Min Lai,¹ Chang-Chuan Chan,¹ Jing-Shiang Hwang,² Chun-Yuh Yang,³ and Jung-Der Wang^1,4

¹Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan
²Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
³School of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical College, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
⁴Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the short-term effect of ambient air pollution on the pulmonary function of schoolchildren. We sampled 941 children in primary school in three communities in Taiwan (Sanchun, Taihsi, and Linyuan) . The nearby stations of the Taiwan air quality monitoring network provided the hourly ambient concentrations of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter, and nitrogen dioxide. Spirometry was performed once for each sampled child. We also obtained the status of indoor air pollution and chronic respiratory disease history by using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate linear model analysis was used to evaluate pulmonary function effects of each pollutant in addition to determinants of indoor air pollution and meteorologic conditions. We found a significantly negative association of peak O₃ concentration on the day before spirometry with individual forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. The decrease in children's lung function can occur at peak hourly O₃ concentrations < 80 ppb. The slope of lung function decrease for Taiwanese children is approximately 1 mL/ppb for peak hourly O₃ exposure. Key words: ozone, pulmonary function, schoolchildren, short-term effect. Environ Health Perspect 107:921-925 (1999) . [Online 19 October 1999]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p921-925chen/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to J-D. Wang, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, No. 1, Section 1, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan. Telephone: 886 2 2322 2224. Fax: 886 2 2322 4660. E-mail: jdwang@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw

This study was supported by grants from the National Science Council, The Executive Yuan, Taiwan (NSC-85-2621-P002-024 and NSC-86-2621-P002-013) .

Received 16 February 1999 ; accepted 26 July 1999.