Pollution and allergies on the rise

Pollen pollution in Europe is rising massively

04/18/2012

The pollen load in Europe is increasing and with it the risk of allergies. Researchers at the Technical University (TU) Munich have investigated the Europe-wide development of air pollution with allergenic pollen, revealing possible correlations with increases in allergies.

A team of international scientists led by Professor Annette Menzel from the Technical University of Munich reports in the journal „PLoS ONE“, that the pollen load of the air in the modern industrial nations has increased continuously over the past years. This is accompanied by a growing prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases such as hay fever and asthma, write Menzel and colleagues. Climate change has a significant impact here, whereby not only the temperature increase but above all the increased CO2 concentration favor the growth of the plants and thus the production of pollen, the scientists continue.

Increase in pollen concentration and allergy risk
In the context of their study, the researchers led by Professor Annette Menzel had examined the pollen concentration of the air in 13 countries by means of time-turning and registered a considerable increase in the amount of pollen. „For 1,221 pollen time series of at least 10 years, uniform annual pollen indices were calculated, which allow a comparison of allergy-important pollen from different climatic conditions“, so the message of the TU Munich. The result: Europe-wide, the allergenic pollen are on the rise, which also leads to an increase in allergic diseases. According to the researchers, this development will continue in the coming years, which is why people in Europe have to adjust to a significantly higher allergy burden. In particular, the urban population was affected by this, because the study results showed that the pollen concentration in the cities has increased by an average of three percent annually, whereas the increase in the countryside was only one percent per year, report Menzel and colleagues.

Urban climate as an experimental field for climate impacts
Based on the city climate, according to the researchers can already read off some effects of climate change. „The urban climate is already warmer and drier today, plus a higher level of air pollution“, said the ecoclimatologist Annette Menzel. The researchers therefore used the urban areas as „testing ground“, to predict the climate consequences. Here lies the temperature through the „the dense development in so-called urban heat islands by one to three degrees higher“, the scientists report. The CO2 and pollutant levels in the air are usually increased there. „In urban areas, we already have the conditions that we expect for rural areas in the future“, explained Prof. Menzel.

Pollen allergens with serious health consequences
As a major cause of the increasing pollen load, the researchers name the increased CO2 concentration as a result of climate change. Here laboratory tests and several field studies have shown that the rising carbon dioxide levels in the air cause an acceleration of plant growth and in this way also an increased pollen production. In addition, the rising temperatures are helping to make the pollen season longer every year, report Prof. Menzel and colleagues. „These changes lead to a greater burden on people due to pollen allergens with potentially serious consequences for public health“, so the statement of the experts in the article „Changes to Airborne Pollen Counts across Europe“. However, according to the TU Munich, it is not the increase in pollen concentration itself that is decisive with regard to the allergy risk, but rather its function as a „(Over-) carriers of allergenic substances.“

Concentration of allergy-promoting substances varies
To estimate the future allergy burden, Prof. Annette Menzel „together with the allergologist Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann from the Center for Allergy and the Environment (TUM / Helmholtz Zentrum München) researches the allergy trends in cities and rural areas“, so the message of the TU Munich. The researchers were able to prove that the release of allergy-promoting substances fluctuates from year to year and that there are also differences between pollen from rural and urban areas. The detailed research will be presented soon, but it is already clear today that „the view into the climate future is not only unpleasant for city dwellers“, the researchers explained. (Fp)

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