Follow-up of schoolchildren in the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant in Israel

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3431300· OSTI ID:5983012

Goren, A I; Hellmann, S; Brenner, S ^[1]; Goldsmith, J R ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Tel-Aviv (Israel)
2. Ben Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Beer-Sheva (Israel)

This study was carried out in the framework of a health monitoring system set up in the vicinity of a 1400 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Israel. Second- and fifth-grade schoolchildren were followed up every 3 years; they performed pulmonary function tests (PFT), and their parents filled out American Thoracic Society-National Heart and Lung Institute health questionnaires. Among the cohort of second graders (in 1983) living in the area expected to be most polluted, a significant increase in the prevalence of part of the respiratory symptoms was evident in 1986. The prevalence of asthma among fifth graders in this area doubled compared with prevalence when they were second graders. Among the children from the older cohort (fifth graders in 1983) living in this community, a similar although milder trend could be observed, especially in regard to an increased prevalence of asthma in 1986 compared with 1983. Annual increases in PFT in the four groups of children (boys and girls from both cohorts) were found to be higher in the community expected to be polluted (especially in the younger cohort) compared with the two other communities. The discrepancy between the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases and the higher annual increase in PET among children from the expected more polluted community may be partly attributable to differential annual increase in height and to different distribution of background variables in the three communities.

• OSTI ID: 5983012
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States), Vol. 94; ISSN 0091-6765
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
CHILDREN
MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LUNGS
BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
DISEASE INCIDENCE
AGE DEPENDENCE
ASTHMA
BRONCHITIS
CARBON MONOXIDE
COAL
ISRAEL
NITROGEN OXIDES
PNEUMONIA
SULFATES
SULFUR DIOXIDE
AGE GROUPS
ASIA
BODY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DISEASES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HAZARDS
MATERIALS
MIDDLE EAST
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER PLANTS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
SURVEILLANCE
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
016000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Health & Safety