Pharmacokinetics of aspirin given orally at antipyretic dose (12 mg/kg) were studied in 11 African children aged 4-48 months. In order to examine the influence of nutritional status on aspirin kinetics, children were classified according to Waterlow criteria. Blood samples were collected during the 8 hours following the initial dose. Albumin, prealbumin and transferrin plasma levels were measured and plasma salicylic acid (SA) concentrations determined by a fluorometric method. Nutritional status seemed to have no prominent effect on plasma concentrations of SA. The volume of distribution found in our study was lower than those obtained in other studies. This could be explained by lower plasma aspirin esterase activities in black children. There were large individual variations in plasma salicylate concentrations. For example, even at antipyretic doses, saturation phenomena appeared in two children.