The effect of air pollution on ventilatory function in nonsmoking women

This study investigated disorders of ventilatory function in unemployed nonsmoking women living in areas with different air pollution. Subjects from Bakar and Krasica had lived in areas with large industrial plants in the vicinity. Continuous air quality measurements showed that SO2 concentrations exceeded the recommended values. The control group had lived in the Viskovo area where measurements showed the air to be clean. Ventilatory functions were measured on two occasions, in 1986 and in 1990. FVC, FEV1, Tiffeneau index, and FMF25-75 were taken and expressed as absolute and relative values. In both 1986 and 1990 measurements, women of Viskovo manifested significantly better values of ventilatory function than the women living in Bakar, except for the Tiffeneau index. The same stands for the 1986 comparison between Viskovo and Krasica women, whereas the second, 1990 measurement showed no difference between the two groups. Decreased ventilatory function in the Bakar women over both measurements and in the Krasica women at the first measurement may be associated with a long-term exposure to an increased air pollution with respect to the Viskovo area.