A recent study conducted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals climate change is now responsible for earlier pollen seasons, triggering allergic reactions among citizens up to 20 days sooner than expected.
What We Know:
- “A longer pollen season poses real threats to individuals suffering from allergy as well as the U.S economy,” asserts environmental health Professor Amir Sapkota from the University of Maryland. Professor Sapkota states that pollen is a principal “risk factor for allergic diseases such as hay fever and asthma exacerbation.”
- He continues to say that asthma nets a loss of about 80 billion dollars to the U.S economy “in terms of treatment and loss of productivity” every year. Sapkota recently found a correlation between early spring and increased risk in asthma hospitalizations. An early spring means a prolonged allergy season that will only get worse as carbon dioxide eating plants continue to increase pollen levels. This is bad news for individuals with allergies.
- Dr. Stanley Fineman, the ex-president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, advises that “Pollen really follows the temperature. There’s not a question.” His statement supports the evidence given in the studies mentioned above. A warmer planet means a shorter winter and early spring. Early spring equals trees and plants blooming sooner than we’re used to, and they both produce more pollen when exposed to carbon dioxide.
- The PNAS data confirms that pollen loads are up 21% since 1990. This is the most accurate study ever produced for pollen research in relation to climate change with 60 different reporting stations across Canada and the United States. Southern and Midwestern regions appear to be the most at risk.
It appears as though climate change is becoming more of a threat to individuals on a personal scale. Proper awareness is recommended to subvert long term medical conditions.
