Epidemiology of food and skin allergies among children and adolescents depending on the air quality

Introduction
Air pollution is a significant global public health problem, affecting the cardiovascular system, causing heart and lung disease, lung cancer, food and skin allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. Over 90% of children worldwide breathe polluted air, and 300 million of them live in areas with air pollution six times higher than the norm.

Aim
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the prevalence of food and skin allergies among children and adolescents and ambient air quality in Poland.

Material and methods
Data on the incidence of food allergies (K52.2) and skin allergies (L27.2) in Poland among children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years were obtained from the Ministry of Health, as well as data from the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection on average annual atmospheric air concentrations (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzo[a]pyrene, PM2.5 particulate matter, and PM10 particulate matter) for the period 2018 to 2024. The study used Statistica 13.6.0.064 (0616) and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results
During the analysed period, average annual air pollution levels in Poland decreased. For PM10 particulate matter, these concentrations were 32.1 μm³ in 2018 and 20.2 μm³ in 2024, and for benzo(a)pyrene, 4.3 ng/m³ in 2018 and 1.3 ng/m³ in 2024. The incidence rate of food and skin allergies is decreasing, reaching 103.8/10,000 and 97.1/10,000 in 2018, and 87.4/10,000 and 71.1/10,000 in 2024, respectively.

Conclusions
The analysis of average annual selected air concentrations showed that air quality has been improving since 2018. Along with the decrease in atmospheric air pollution concentrations, there has also been a decrease in the incidence of food and skin allergies among children and adolescents.