General practitioners in Corrèze have drawn the attention of health authorities to what they consider to be a growing number of respiratory and skin conditions among their patients since the intensification of apple-growing activities in their region. The relationship between the presence of apple orchards and the health problems reported by doctors was investigated by the InVS and the Corrèze DDASS in partnership with the Regional Union of Private Practitioners of Limousin. A geographically-based ecological study was conducted in 1998 during the period of pesticide application among the patients of general practitioners in two areas, one with apple orchards and the other without. The following conditions or groups of conditions were selected as target conditions: bronchiolitis, asthmatic bronchitis, sinusitis, rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis, conjunctivitis, cough (nocturnal, exertional, spastic), irritant dermatitis, contact eczema, asthma, and asthma-like conditions. Eleven of the 16 physicians approached participated in the entire study. The ratio of consultations for target conditions to total consultations in the apple-growing area was significantly higher than that observed in the non-apple-growing area (2.94% vs. 1.79%). With the exception of conjunctivitis, each target condition was more frequently encountered in consultations in the apple-growing area; however, the difference was significant at the 5% level only for asthmatic bronchitis, sinusitis, and rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis. (R.A.)