A new study published by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine in the journal PLoS One suggests that people living in areas with severe air pollution are more likely to develop eczema. With the advancement of industrialization, the global incidence rate of eczema is rising, which indicates that environmental factors may be one of the reasons for the rise of the incidence rate of eczema. In this new study, researchers used data from the National Institutes of Health's "National Health Research Program," which covers hundreds of thousands of American adults. The new study included 286862 participants, whose demographic information and electronic health records are available. Overall, 12695 participants (4.4%) were diagnosed with eczema. Excluding smoking, researchers found that eczema patients are more likely to live in areas with high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. In the area where they live, for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter increase in the average concentration of PM2.5 in the air, people's likelihood of developing eczema doubles or even increases. Researchers have concluded that increased air pollution measured by PM2.5 may affect the risk of eczema, which is likely due to its impact on the immune system. (New Society)