Follow-up of schoolchildren from polluted and low-polluted rural areas in Israel.

Schoolchildren aged 6-18 years from six rural settlements--three in a polluted area and three in a low polluted area--were studied during summer 1984 and summer 1989. They performed pulmonary function tests (PFT) which included: FVC, FEV1.0, PEF, FEF50%, and FEF25%; their parents filled out the American Thoracic Society health questionnaire. A trend of higher prevalence of reported respiratory symptoms and diseases characterizes children growing up in the polluted as compared to the low-polluted rural areas in the studies carried out both in 1984 and in 1989. A trend of lower PFT characterizes children of the polluted area, with significantly (p = 0.05) reduced PEF in 1984 but not in 1989. Follow-up of those children who were examined both in 1984 and in 1989 (e.g., those who were 6-13 years old in 1984 and 11-18 years old in 1989) shows a decrease in the prevalence of most respiratory symptoms and diseases both in the low-polluted and in the polluted rural areas. The decrease in prevalence is generally higher among the children in the low-polluted areas. The prevalences of respiratory conditions are higher in the polluted than in the low-polluted area in 1984 and in 1989. Annual increase in PFT is higher among the children from the low-polluted areas compared to the rural polluted community (for FVC of girls p = 0.05).