[Air quality and respiratory health of school children in Pancevo].

INTRODUCTION: Air pollution is the leading environmental problem in Pancevo. Sources are traffic, home heating, industry, land fields, and street dust. Air pollution has harmful effect on population health, particularly the health of children. OBJECTIVE: To estimate school-children's respiratory health in Pancevo. METHOD: The air quality in Pancevo and Vrsac was measured by standard methods. The health condition was tested by anthropometric, clinical examination and spirometric measures in school children of II-V classes of three primary schools in Pancevo and one in Vrsac, in 2002. Data from 1136 children were analyzed: 796 in Pancevo, and 340 in Vrsac. Parents answered the questions in questionnaires: non standardized questionnaire about children's health, social status and smoking in the family, questionnaire about pregnancy, physical activity and standardized ISAAC questionnaire about asthma and eczema. RESULTS: During the 2002/2003 heating season in Vrsac, concentrations of SO2 and soot were less than limit concentrations of emission and significantly less than in Pancevo air. Results showed that the asthma, wheezing during physical activity (p < 0.05), dry cough at night (p < 0.001), cold and tonsilo-pharyngitis (p < or = 0.05) were significantly more frequent in girls from Pancevo than girls from Vrsac. Morning cough (p < 0.05) and wheezing (p < 0.01) was significantly more frequent in boys from Pancevo than boys from Vrsac. Children from Pancevo were much higher than children in Vrsac. Less vital capacity (p < 0.05) and mild restriction (p < 0.001) were more often in children from Pancevo than children in Vrsac. CONCLUSION: Our investigation confirmed that children from Pancevo had problems with respiratory health more often than children in Vrsac.