This story originally appeared on Vox and is part of the Climate office collaboration.
Warm warming is a welcome relief of Winter bitterly cold Through a large part of the United States, but millions of seasonal allergic people are buried under a pollen tsunami, with sneezing, headache, aqueous eyes and plush sinuses which send them immediately inside.
Already, Atlanta has broke his record for a number of pollenWith 14,801 grains per cubic meter spitting pine, oak and birch. Houes has also reported its greatest number of pollen since 2013, when the files started.
THE Foundation of asthma and America allergies (AAFA) plans that 2025 will be another sudden year for seasonal allergies across the country, with the least affected cities in the southern United States. Your red eyes and your running nose do not deceive you – seasonal allergies empire, a miserable reality for almost One in three American adults and one in four children.
For what? Sneezing and sniffs are one of the climate change sirens. In fact, due to warming, pollen is now a threat almost all year round in certain parts of the United States. Pollen, the main seasonal allergies trigger, emerges earlier in the year, in higher concentrations and lasts longer after year. “In the spring, pollen's first allergens come from trees, and it starts 20 days earlier than 30 years ago,” said Kenneth MendezCEO of AAFA. The increase in concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere directly induces plants to produce more pollen while extending the temperature conditions that trigger pollen production in plants.
“We hear all the time:” I have never had any allergies before, and now I suddenly feel like you have allergies “, or” I have the impression that my allergies emparely “, and it is because the allergic load is much higher because of climate change,” said Mendez.
For most people, seasonal allergies are an unpleasant nuisance. But with millions of people Blergh At the same time, this represents a huge economic burden in the loss of productivity. Asthma, allergic rhinitis – The condition you probably know as hay fever and allergy conditions cost the economy of billions of dollars Each year in lost work days, medicines and visits to the doctor.
There are also people for whom pollen is a more serious problem and can cause dangerous complications or exacerbate other health problems. A study revealed that allergies to the pollen of trees lead to 25,000 to 50,000 emergency room visits A year, two thirds of people under the age of 18.
Over time, as the number of pollen is increasing, more people with a higher sensitivity threshold discover the hard way that these tiny grains are a danger. Other people also discover that doors and windows cannot protect them, as some of the smallest pollen grains infiltrate.
“If the trend lines continue, I think more people will feel miserable for allergies,” said Mendez.
How we continue to worsen allergies for us
The problem for allergic people is that their body's defense mechanisms are sometimes excessively to something benign. Usually this leads to light and easily treatable symptoms. But allergens can also trigger more serious complications like Asthma attackscausing a whistling breathing, a chest seal and shortness of breath. In rare cases, they can lead to anaphylaxisAn entire body reaction where the respiratory tract can swell and blood pressure drops to dangerously low levels.
The vast majority of pollen allergies are more boring than dangerous, but seasonal pollen is so omnipresent that it is almost impossible to avoid, sneaking inside through vents, window seals, clothing and pet fur.
