Summary Outdoor air pollution has become a major environmental health problem throughout the world. In particular, exposure to particulate matter(PM) has been associated with the development and exacerbation of allergic rhinitis(AR). Although the adverse health effects of PM have been demonstrated for many years, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully identified. In this review, we refer to recently published literature to describe the composition of PM, the epidemiological evidence of PM-induced AR, and the possible immune mechanisms of PM-induced AR.
Keywords: diesel exhaust particles; oxidative stress; particulate matter; rhinitis, allergic.
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