Association between Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Prevalence of Allergic Diseases in Children, Seoul, Korea

Background/Aim: Although there has been suggestive evidence of the association between traffic-related air pollution and allergic diseases, findings remained inconsistent possibly due to limited population. We investigated the association between traffic-related air pollution and allergic diseases in a large population of children with rich spatial coverage and expanded age span in Seoul, Korea. Methods: The Seoul Atopy Friendly School Project survey provided prevalence of eczema, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in 31,576 children aged 1-12 years and living mostly in all 25 districts of Seoul. Prevalence was defined as symptoms for previous 12 months based on the modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires. Traffic exposures were estimated by proximity to and density of major roads within 300 meters from children’s residences. Major roads were defined as national and metropolitan highways and roads with more than six lanes. We estimated the association between tw...