Objective: To estimate the short-term effects of pollution on the activity of a sentinel physician network and to assess the feasibility and validity of such a network for the epidemiological surveillance of the health effects of pollution. Method: Twenty-two practitioners recorded daily respiratory, ocular, and neurological symptoms among their patients from February 1996 to September 1997 in the Urban Community of Strasbourg (CUS). Results: A set of statistically significant relationships were observed: hourly peak SO2 levels with cough and the number of symptomatic patients; daily average SO2 levels with hoarseness and headaches; maximum PM13 levels with pharyngeal symptoms, cough, wheezing, and the number of symptomatic patients; average PM13 levels with pharyngeal symptoms, cough, and the total number of symptomatic patients; maximum NO2 levels associated with coughing and all symptomatic patients; average NO2 levels associated with rhinorrhea, pharyngeal symptoms, coughing, wheezing and non-wheezing respiratory distress, headaches, and the number of symptomatic patients; maximum and average O3 levels associated with eye irritation. Conclusion: The use of a sentinel physician network is feasible under certain conditions and could be recommended for monitoring the short-term health effects of air pollution. However, caution is warranted when interpreting the results observed in this feasibility study, particularly due to the limited duration of data collection. Nevertheless, these associations are consistent with the results published in other studies.