Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have become common pollutants with industrial development. Although the effect of exposure to PAHs on allergic disease in humans has been evaluated, evidence of an association is sparse. The association between PAH exposure and serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels was evaluated in Korean adults.

In total, this study included 3,269 participants in the Third Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2015–2017). Four urinary PAH metabolites were used to assessed exposure to PAHs: 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 2-naphthol, and 2-hydroxyfluorene. The analyses were performed on 3 cutoff levels (100 IU/mL, 114 IU/mL, and 150 IU/mL) set as the total IgE elevation. Prevalence of total IgE elevation by PAH exposure group and general characteristics (age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking, and occupation) were analyzed using the Rao–Scott χ² test. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for total IgE elevation by PAH exposure groups.

Total IgE elevation differed significantly by age, sex, smoking status, alcohol drinking status, and occupation. For 2-hydroxyfluorene, the fourth quartile showed a significant association with IgE elevation compared to the first quartile in the analyses of cutoff-level 100 IU/mL (OR: 1.372, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.007–1.869) and 114 IU/mL (OR: 1.643, 95% CI: 1.167–2.312). In the analysis of cutoff-level 150 IU/mL, the adjusted ORs of the third and fourth quartile of 2-hydroxyfluorene were significantly higher than the first quartile (3rd quartile: OR: 1.478, 95% CI: 1.034–2.113; 4th quartile: OR: 1.715, 95% CI: 1.161–2.534). However, there were no significant positive associations for the other metabolites.

This study implied that PAHs exposure is associated with total IgE elevation in Korean adults. More research is needed to confirm the effect of exposure to PAHs on serum IgE and allergic diseases.