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Allergies Getting Worse Due to Global Warming
By Sara
Goudarzi, Special to LiveScience
Sea levels are
rising, polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are getting stronger, and thanks to climate change, people are sneezing more.
The rapid rise in occurrence of allergic symptoms over the past few decades
may be due to environmental changes such as mounting carbon dioxide and
a warmer atmosphere, a new study finds.
Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from hay fever, while 16 million
adults endure asthma. Although genetics play an important role in these
conditions, recent research is finding that higher temperatures and more
carbon dioxide are making allergy seasons worse, stimulating plants to
produce more pollen and increasing fungi growth.
"There have been significant increases in allergies and asthma in
recent decades, which obviously cannot be explained by any change in
genetics," said Christine Rogers, a research associate in
Environmental Science and Engineering at
Harvard
University
.
Flowering earlier
Rogers
reviewed the scientific literature on the change in plant flowering times
and airborne pollen concentrations over the last few decades. She also
looked at the relevant studies on pollen production in plants grown in
conditions forcing elevated levels of carbon dioxide.
The results mean an increase in photosynthesis and more plant growth.
"Plants are flowering significantly earlier over time and advancing the
season by approximately 0.8 days per year,"
Rogers
said.
A separate study found plant growth is increasing in Arctic lakes, for example. In
addition, total seasonal pollen is increasing for many plants, an
example of which is ragweed.
The actual cause of the increase in allergic diseases is due to many factors
such as lifestyle changes, obesity, and pollution. This leaves a
much larger population sensitive to the increase in aeroallergens,
airborne particles that cause allergies. Because of climate change,
these aeroallergens are becoming more abundant in the environment and
causing all those newly allergic people to potentially have stronger or
more frequent symptoms,
Rogers
explained.
More mold
Other studies predict that a warming planet will bring more intense rainstorms. Carbon dioxide levels
are expected to elevate further. In response, molds are likely to become
common in more homes.
"With an increase in moisture as we might expect as a result of climate
change, we can expect more fungal growth on damp interior
surfaces,"
Rogers
told LiveScience.
"Exposure to fungi is very clearly associated with both allergy and
asthma symptoms."
The study is detailed as part of a recently released report titled Climate
Change Futures, a project of the Center for Health and
the Global Environment at
Harvard
Medical
School
.
Published by: http://www.livescience.com/health/051122_allergy_rise.html
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