A cross-sectional study on the pulmonary function of residents in two urban areas with different PM 10 concentrations: data from the fourth Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (KNHANES) 2007–2009

Background The present study aims to compare the pulmonary function of residents of Seoul special city (Seoul) and Jeju special self-governing province including Jeju city and Seogwipo city (Jeju), characterized by vastly different annual average airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less ≤10 μm (PM10) concentrations, with the annual average PM10 concentration in Seoul being significantly higher than that in Jeju.