Effects of air pollution resulting from wire reclamation incineration on pulmonary function in children

This study evaluated the effect of long-term air pollution resulting from wire reclamation incineration on pulmonary function in children. General physical examination and the determination of spirometric parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF25-75%) were conducted in 400 primary school children between ages 9 and 11 years who reside in one control and three polluted areas. A survey using ATS-DLD-78-C questionnaire indicated that there were no significant differences in their demographic characteristics among children in the four areas under study. Those who had nonrespiratory diseases that might affect pulmonary function and those who failed to perform spirometric measurements were excluded from the study; therefore, 382 children were included in data analysis. The results revealed that (1) the mean values of FVC and FEV1 (expressed as percentage of predicted values calculated from Polgar's equations) in the polluted areas were significantly lower than the nonpolluted area (p less than 0.05), and (2) the incidence of pulmonary function abnormality in the polluted areas was greater than that of the nonpolluted area (p less than 0.05). The results indicated that air pollution produced by wire reclamation incineration can impair children's pulmonary function.