Why this coming Spring will be especially vicious for allergy sufferers

[The title was written by my editor.]

Experts speculate that more carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere will cause increases in airborne pollen, which will translate into greater intensity of symptoms in allergy sufferers.

by John Tyburski

Copyright © Daily Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

First published at Daily Digest News on November 5, 2014

With winter almost here, allergy sufferers are hoping for cold and wet conditions this year. These wintery conditions cause dramatic reductions in airborne allergens such as grass pollen, meaning that allergy sufferers can find temporary relief during winter months where cold and rainy conditions prevail.

Unfortunately, the future for allergy sufferers looks even more bleak, according to researchers. A new report published on Wednesday in the journal PLoS One suggests that Spring pollen levels are going to increase as a result of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

The authors of the report speculate that allergens like grass pollen could increase as much as 202 percent over current average levels over the next century. According to environmental health scientist Christine Rogers of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, rises in global atmospheric carbon dioxide will drive the change.

Experts predict that even though polluting nations may take steps to lower carbon emissions, a rise in carbon levels is nearly inevitable.

“The implications of increasing CO2 for human health are clear. Stimulation of grass pollen production by elevated CO2 will increase airborne concentrations and increase exposure and suffering in grass pollen-allergic individuals,” Rogers said in a statement.

Rogers and her colleagues drew their conclusions after growing grasses in isolation chambers containing various amounts of carbon dioxide. They found a direct correlation between carbon dioxide levels and pollen production.

“These results are similar to our other studies performed in other highly allergenic taxa such as ragweed but with more extreme outcomes and wider impacts,” Rogers warned.