Association of ambient air pollution with hemoglobin levels and anemia in the general population of Korean adults

Emerging evidence has suggested significant associations between ambient air pollution and changes in hemoglobin levels or anemia in specific vulnerable groups, but few studies have assessed this relationship in the general population. This study aimed to evaluate the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and hemoglobin concentrations or anemia in general adults in South Korea. A total of 69,830 Korean adults from a large-scale nationwide survey were selected for our final analysis. Air pollutants included particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometers (PM ), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide (SO ), and carbon monoxide (CO). We measured the serum hemoglobin concentration to assess anemia for each participant. In the fully adjusted model, exposure levels to PM , SO , and CO for one and two years were significantly associated with decreased hemoglobin concentrations (all p