August 10, 2007

Global Warming Affects Allergies

What does global warming have to do with allergies?

Research shows that the two may have an interesting link that could explain why more and more people find themselves suffering from hay fever. The warmer, longer growing seasons produced by global warming encourage the growth of ragweed. Yet, better growing conditions is just the first part of the equation: as greater amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) are present in the air, the yellow, clustered flowers of these plants actually produce larger quantities of pollen.

The main problem is the amount of pollen produced—the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that according to their research, rag weed pollen counts may have nearly doubled over the past 4 decades. Is may be one of the reasons that allergy and asthma related mortality rates in the U. S. have practically doubled. This increased rate may not be because of worse symptoms, but because of rapidly growing number of individuals affected by asthma.

The Experiment:

Ragweed seedlings were planted over 3 15-day intervals. Groups of plants were kept in different glass houses and exposed to varying amounts of CO2. As the ragweed plants began to flower, open topped bags were placed over the flower clusters (or inflorescences) to collect the pollen released. There was a high percentage of increased pollen production in the plants that were exposed to more CO2—and the researchers final deduction: “Overall, ragweed pollen production can be expected to increase significantly under predicted future climate conditions”. (Visit the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ website to read the entire research lab report)

Because August is the month when ragweed begins to release pollen, here are a few things that you can do to reduce your exposure:

Keep all the windows and doors of your house closed – especially in the late afternoon and evening, which is when pollen counts climb dramatically.
Close the windows while driving in your car—and if your car’s air conditioning has the option to recycle the air in the car, turn it to this setting.
When outside, wearing a pair of sunglasses will not only protect your eyes from the glare of the sun, but it may help keep pollen from landing on the delicate linings of your eyes.
Avoid freshly mowed lawns and fields– it’s not only the pollen that causes allergies, the same protein found in ragweed pollen is also found in the plant itself. Mowing chops up the plants into tiny fragments that are just as easily inhaled as pollen.
Take off your shoes just outside your door to avoid tracking pollen indoors.
Keep your hair pulled back while you are outside and take a quick shower before going to bed to wash away any pollen that has collected in your hair and will be transferred to your pillow.
Use a HEPA air filter in your bedroom, or in place of your existing furnace/air conditioning filter to reduce the amount of free-floating pollen in your home. Dynamic Air Cleaners makes freestanding console units that are good for bedrooms and a panel filter that fits easily into the slot for your existing filter.