Currently, allergy constitutes a public health problem of a pandemic range, especially in industrialized countries. In Europe, 30% of the population have symptoms of allergy. In Poland, allergy affects as many as 40% of society. In the years 2007–2015, in Krakow the first stage of a survey involving children aged 7–8 years and adolescents aged 16–17 years was conducted. The total number of respondents was 75 000. Over 50% of respondents reported allergic symptoms, 60% of them were not diagnosed and treated. In the second stage of the study, spirometry, skin prick tests, patch tests and the Fx5 panel were performed. Nearly 30% of children and 25% of adolescents showed allergic rhinitis, while 12% and almost 9%, respectively, showed asthma. Eczema had affected one in four children and one in eight teenagers. The data show that in a large urban area, as Krakow, the risk of allergic diseases is higher than in the general population in the analysed age ranges. One possible explanation of this phenomenon is growing up in severe air pollution conditions.