title: Air pollution and asthma among children in Seoul, Korea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As information about the health risks associated with air pollution has become available, attention has focused increasingly on susceptible persons such as children and persons with preexisting respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the association between outdoor air pollution and asthma attacks among children under 15 years of age in Seoul, Korea. We estimated the relative risks of hospitalization associated with an interquartile range (IQR) increase in pollutant concentrations and used time series analysis of the counts by means of the generalized additive Poisson model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The estimated relative risk of hospitalization for asthma was 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-1.11) for particulate matters less than or equal to 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter (IQR = 40.4 microg/m3); 1.11 (95% CI = 1.06-1.17) for sulfur dioxide (IQR = 4.4 ppb); 1.15 (95% CI = 1.10-1.20) for nitrogen dioxide (IQR = 14.6 ppb); 1.12 (95% CI = 1.07-1.16) for ozone (IQR = 21.7 ppb); and 1.16 (95% CI = 1.10-1.22) for carbon monoxide (IQR = 1.0 ppm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support the hypothesis that air pollution at levels below the current standards of Korea is harmful to sensitive subjects such as asthmatic children.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental and Industrial Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-Dong, Sungdong-Gu, Seoul, Korea 133-791. JLEE@HANYANG.AC.KR
authors.forename: Jong-Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ho
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hoyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yun-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yong-Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Suk-Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Youn-Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Yoon-Shin
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons