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Ambient air pollution in urban areas may trigger asthma exacerbations. We carried out a time-series analysis of the association between the concentrations of various air pollutants and the risk of hospital admission due to asthma over 7 days from exposure. We used distributed lag nonlinear models to analyze data gathered between 2010 and 2018 in the three largest urban agglomerations in Poland. Overall, there were 31,919 asthma hospitalizations. Over 7 days since exposure, the rate ratio (95%CI) for admission per 10 µg/m3 was 1.013 (1.002–1.024) for PM10; 1.014 (1.000–1.028) for PM2.5; 1.054 (1.031–1.078) for NO2; and 1.044 for SO2 (95%CI: 0.986–1.104). For all pollutants, the risk of admission was the greatest on the day of exposure (day 0), decreased below baseline on days 1 and 2, and then increased gradually up to day 6. The proportions (95%CI) of hospitalizations attributable to air pollution were 4.52% (0.80%–8.14%) for PM10; 3.74% (0.29%–7.11%) for PM2.5; 16.4% (10.0%–21.8%) for NO2; and 2.50% (−0.75%–5.36%) for SO2. In conclusion, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 pollution was associated with an increased risk of hospital admission due to asthma in the three largest urban agglomerations in Poland over nine years.

Ambient air pollution impairs lung development in children, particularly in industrialized areas. The air quality in Zabrze, a city located in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region of Poland, is among the worst in Europe. We compared lung function and the frequency of respiratory or allergic symptoms between children living in Zabrze and those living in Gdynia, a city on the Baltic coast, which has the best long-term air quality in Poland. We enrolled children aged 9–15 years from both cities who were able to perform a spirometry. The following spirometry variables were measured for all participants: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume during the first second of expiration (FEV1), FEV1/FVC index, and peak expiratory flow (PEF). The frequencies of respiratory or allergic symptoms were taken from a survey completed by the participants’ parents. In total, 258 children from Gdynia and 512 children from Zabrze were examined. The mean values of FVC, FEV1, and PEF were significantly greater among children in Gdynia than those reported in Zabrze (p ≤ 0.032), and the frequencies of seasonal rhinorrhea (p = 0.015) or coughing episodes (p = 0.022) were significantly higher in Zabrze than in Gdynia. In conclusion, lung function was significantly impaired in children living in Zabrze, an area which is associated with poor air quality. Strategies to improve air quality in the Silesia region are urgently needed.