Abstract
Background
Ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exist as complex mixtures. Their short-term health associations in children remain poorly characterized
Objective
To evaluate short-term associations between ambient VOC mixtures and pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma in Seoul, Korea, and to estimate the ecological attributable burden
Methods
Daily counts of outpatient visits and hospital admissions among individuals aged <19 years in Seoul (2015–2019) were linked with citywide VOC concentrations grouped as n-alkanes (G1), branched/cyclo-alkanes (G2), alkenes/alkynes (G3), and aromatics (G4). Mixture associations were estimated using Weighted Quantile Sum regression (WQSR) and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression. Population Attributable Fractions (PAFs) were calculated from WQSR-based relative risks under a hypothetical 25th-percentile lower-exposure scenario.
Results
Ambient VOC mixtures were associated with higher daily counts of outpatient visits and hospital admissions for pediatric AD and asthma. Toluene (G4) showed the highest WQSR weight (0.88 for AD; 0.75 for asthma), while hexane (G1) and cyclohexane (G2) also showed relatively high weights (AD: 0.67 and 0.38; asthma: 0.55 and 0.25, respectively). Generalized additive models showed broadly consistent single-compound associations. Estimated ecological PAFs under the 25th-percentile scenario were 7.0% for AD (G4) and 4.7% (G1), 4.0% (G2), and 6.5% (G4) for asthma.
Significance
Short-term exposure to ambient VOC mixtures, particularly aromatics, is associated with an increased pediatric burden of AD and asthma in Seoul. Toluene was identified as a key contributor, whereas the roles of other VOCs require further investigation because of potential shared
Impact
This study quantifies the short-term effects of ambient VOC mixtures on pediatric AD and asthma using advanced mixture models. The findings suggest that aromatic VOCs, particularly toluene, were consistently associated with the observed health outcomes. VOC mixture exposure may be associated with a measurable ecological burden of pediatric AD and asthma at the population level
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Data availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the co-authors for their contributions and feedback on early versions of the analyses and the manuscript
Funding
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Education [grant number 2019M3E7A1035155] and by the National Institute of Health (NIH) research project [grant number 2024-ER0908-01]
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Authors and Affiliations
Institute for Environmental Research, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Minsun Lee, Kyungjun Jeong, Yongjin Lee & Changsoo Kim
Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Minsun Lee, Kyungjun Jeong, Kyungnam Kim, Jaelim Cho & Changsoo Kim
Department of Precision Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea
Dae Ryong Kang
Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Myung Hyun Sohn
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Contributions
Minsun Lee: Writing—original draft. Kyungjun Jeong: Investigation. Kyoung-Nam Kim: Methodology. Jaelim Cho: Conceptualization. Dae Ryong Kang: Formal analysis. Myung Hyun Sohn: Methodology. Yongjin Lee: Data curation. Changsoo Kim: Writing—review and editing
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The authors declare no competing interests
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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Yonsei University Health System (IRB number: 4-2024-1027). The requirement for informed consent was waived owing to the retrospective nature of the study. All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations
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Lee, M., Jeong, K., Kim, K. et al. Short-term effects and attributable burden of ambient volatile organic compound mixtures on pediatric atopic dermatitis and asthma in Seoul.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-026-00965-5
Received:20 February 2026
Revised:05 August 2026
Accepted:06 August 2026
Published:20 August 2026
Version of record:20 August 2026
DOI
:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-026-00965-5
