The relation between air pollution and pulmonal ventilatory functions was studied. The pulmonal-ventilatory functions of 1200 children in Tokyo and of 200 pupils in Amagasaki were examined from 1960 till 1962 by the Wright's peak flow meter. As to the evaluation of air pollution, suspended particles were estimated by the tape air sampler method, and sulfer dioxide by the "lead peroxide" method. 1. The negative correlation was found between the amount of suspended particles and the peak flow rate (P.F.R.). 2. In moderately polluted areas, great individual differences was found in P.F.R. 3. The relation of P.F.R. and pollution was divided into three types, i.e. 1) high P.F.R. in the light polluted area, 2) low P.F.R. in the heavy polluted area, and 3) moderate P.F.R. in the moderately polluted area. 4. From the above mentions, long-term and mass examinations of P.F.R. were thought to be necessary for evaluating the effects of air pollution on health. 5. No difference of P.F.R. was observed between two areas in which pollutions differed by around 1 mg SO₃/day/100cm² PbO₂.

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1. Dieldrin (chemical abbreviation, HEOD) is widely applied as an insecticide in agriculture, and for vector control and recently as a moth-proofing agent for knitting yarn. The author devised a simple bioassay method of dieldrin using larvae of Orthocladius akamushi Tokunaga which is sold on the market as fish feed throughout the year. By aid of this micro-determination method, the author investigated the possible hazard of babies by chewing the moth-proofed woolen dress. 2. When five adults chewed three grams of moth-proofed knitting yarn for five minutes, 14% of total HEOD had been dissolved in saliva, and 20% of it after 10 minutes chewing. 3. When the same person chewed the yarn in repetition, each time for five minutes, the extraction of HEOD decreased sharply after 2 or 3 runs, and the total cumulative amount remained under 27% of the original HEOD in yarn. 4. From these findings, it will be concluded that some amount of dieldrin, which adheres to the surface of yarn, will be readily dissoloved by saliva while the remaining portion (70% or more) is firmly fixed to the wool protein. 5. The magnitude of extracted dieldrin by saliva (0.4mg from three grams of knitting yarn) is far beyond the estimated toxic doses for babies and infants (1mg/kg), but the washing by detergent after moth-proofing process will increase the safety by more than twice. 6. Dieldrin concentration in air in moth-ploofing process was determined by the bioassay method. Near the boiling dye bath containing dieldrin, it was 0.09mg/m³ on an average (range: 0.04∼0.14mg/m³), revealing the concentration for less than 0.25mg/m³ in the threshold limits by ACGIH. When the lid was kept half opened simulating the most careless conditions, the concentration rose up to 9.62mg/m³. This was, however, an unreasonable figure in routine conditions.

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