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A comparative study of the diseases and the physicochemical and bacteriological properties of the atmosphere was performed in 4 nurseries in Paris between September 1976 and June 1977. The importance of nursery-acquired diseases was estimated in each child from the average of the days of non attendance because of illness. They were classified in 3 groups: upper and lower respiratory tract, gastro-intestinal, infection-eruption whose respective rates (80%, 10% and 10%) are not significantly different either from one nursery to another or with age. The children under 2 years of age are ill twice more frequently than the older ones (p less than 0.001). The duration of the absences for illness differs from one nursery to another (p less than 0.001). In the 2 nurseries where the thermohygrometric comfort is satisfying in 30% or more controls (temperature between 19 and 22 degrees C with hygrometry between 40 and 60% of relative humidity), the average of non attendance for ill;ness is 6.0 days; in the 2 nurseries where the comfort is satisfying in 20% of the cases or less, this average becomes 12.6 days in dry and globally contaminated atmosphere and 18.5 days in super-heated atmosphere where pathogen staphylococci predominate.