The association of nonspecific bronchial responsiveness (BR) with pulmonary function level has been studied in a random population sample of 2,156 male and female subjects 15 to 64 yr of age participating in the Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen field survey on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being conducted in the Netherlands. About 25% of the subjects responded with a decrease in baseline FEV1 of 10% or more after challenge with histamine in a concentration of 16 mg/ml or less inhaled over 30 s (PC10). In a stratified analysis, pulmonary function level appeared to be associated with BR in a dose-response relationship. The mean %FEV1 was consistently lower in the more responsive subjects. This relationship was confirmed in linear regression analyses, adjusting for age, sex, area of residence, and smoking habits. Exclusion of subjects with %FEV1 less than 80% diminished but did not change the association between FEV1 and BR. The magnitude of the effect of responsiveness on level of pulmonary function was considerable and statistically significant. In the subjects older than 21 yr of age, male responders (PC10 at less than or equal to 16 mg/ml) on average had an adjusted FEV1 of 32.5 centiliters less than nonresponders, and female responders had an adjusted FEV1 of 30.5 centiliters less (p less than 0.001). BR appeared to be an independent predictor of pulmonary function level after adjustment for age, sex, area of residence, respiratory symptom prevalence, and cigarette smoking. The effect of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function level in this population sample was significant only in men older than 21 yr of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)