Monitoring program of biological status of human populations related to environmental changes

The paper aims at a synthesis of research carried out hitherto which might serve to evaluate the diagnostic value of human biological traits related to natural, economic and socio-cultural properties of the environment. The development of a monitoring program is the object of research of the Department of Human Ecology, the Polish Academy of Sciences, in the years 1986-1990 in Poland, and also of recommendations of the IUAES Human Ecology Commission for the last decade of the 20th century in various countries over the world. Generally, the stages of ontogenesis that are appropriate for monitoring are those which involve an intense proliferation of cells and a rapid growth. The appropriate subjects are the more ecosensitive individuals, that is the heterozygous ones as well as men. The more ecosensitive traits are those developed after birth in over 50 per cent of their adult value. Traits of the highest diagnostic (discriminant) value with respect to environmental conditions were selected. The results are based on the analysis of: 35 somatic traits in 1034 newborns from Białystok and Zambrów in relation to the traits of their families and parents; 21 somatic traits in 2461 of 11 year-old children from Lublin; 40 somatic, physiological and psychomotor traits in 1186 children, 6-19 years old from Poland; 26 morphological and physiological traits in 4771 subjects of 5-90 years of age in Poland; 9 somatic and 17 motor traits in 127,489 children, 7-19 years old, in relation to economic and demographic conditions in 98 regions of Poland; and 27 somatic, physiological and psychomotor traits in children and their parents from the ages of 3-80 years, from 3995 families from Poland. The age particularly important to the study includes: foetal growth effects recorded as newborn status, child development from about half a year (since weaning) to about 3 years of age, development at the early period of puberty, the period at adolescence, age at the peak value (maximal size, best results) of the main morphological and functional traits (usually between the age of 12 and 30), and finally, the rate of involution of these main traits in older age. For the "minimum program" (for public health and environmental conservation services) among somatic traits, 3 were selected for a minimum program: stature, Kaup index, and cephalic index. Among physiological traits, 2 were selected: forced respiratory volume per second and hemoglobin concentration. Among motor traits, 3 were selected for the minimum program: distant movement accuracy, grip strength, and standing long jump.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)