[Hygienic regulation of environmental air pollution with consideration of epidemiological data]

The authors hold that the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) established in Russia for some ambient air pollutants can adversely affect human health and that they are worthy of reconsideration. This opinion is based on the published results of epidemiological studies of Western investigators and on the authors' own data obtained from the analysis by the time series method for a relationship of daily variations of dust or gaseous ambient air pollution to the so-called acute mortality or for that of the variations to respiratory symptoms and to the values of the maximum expiratory flow rate in preschool with or without respiratory abnormalities in their history; from the cross analysis of an association of the characteristics of atmospheric contamination in 13 urban areas with the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases in junior schoolchildren, which was established by a special questionnaire. Particular emphasis should be laid on the reconsideration of not only established values, but mainly on the principles in laying down MAC for dust particles. The Western practice in measuring and evaluating risks separately for fractions of particles of varying sizes should be assessed for its use in Russian conditions; however, the authors' experience argues for this practice.