Abstract

Context: Although a significant relationship has been reported between air pollution and thyroid function in limited samples or regions, few studies have addressed this association in the general population.

Objective: Using a nationwide sample of Korean adults, we investigated the association between exposure to air pollution and thyroid function, and whether this association differed between subgroups stratified according to age or body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We included 4704 adults in the final analysis and used each person's annual average exposure to 4 air pollutants, namely, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide (CO). We measured serum thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations as indicators of thyroid function according to age and BMI.

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