Allergies and climate change are linked, according to a new study from the National Wildlife Federation.
Spring now arrives 10 to 14 days earlier than 20 years ago, which means pollination is starting sooner, according to the study, which was released last week.
Many allergy triggers are worsening because of climate change, and action must be taken to curb global warming pollution and prepare communities for the changes to come, according to the 12-page report.
Global warming is also bad news for asthmatics whose attacks are triggered by allergens or by ozone pollution in urban areas.
Fall allergies, primarily caused by ragweed, are getting worse, according to the study. With today’s carbon dioxide levels, ragweed plants are likely to produce about twice as much pollen as they would have a century ago, according to the NWF release.
Amanda Staudt, the main researcher and climate scientist at NWF, didn’t expect the results to be so dramatic.
But allergists in Eugene are not surprised by the new study.
“Studies have found that plants grow better with an increased carbon dioxide level,” said Jason Friesen, an Oregon Allergy Associates doctor.
Pollinating trees such as oaks and maples gauge the temperature to know when spring has arrived. If spring comes earlier, trees will pollinate earlier, Friesen said.
Tree pollen is the most common trigger for spring hay fever allergies, according to an NWF release.
“The weather affects how early pollination starts,” said Judy Moran, registered nurse for the Allergy and Asthma Research group, part of Oak Street Medical.
The report identifies nine states in the upper Midwest, lower Mississippi Valley and Northeast that will have large increases in allergenic tree pollen if the effects of global warming increase, while seven other states are at risk for moderate increases in pollen.
Oregon is not included in either of those lists, even though Linn County is the “grass-seed capital of the world.”
Staudt said the West Coast was not a major focus of the study, but the study might be expanded in the future to focus more on the area.
The Willamette Valley has been known to trigger an increase in people’s allergy symptoms. On a bad day, Coburg has a 1,500 pollen count for grass pollen, Friesen said.
The grass pollen season in the Willamette Valley usually runs from between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, Moran said.
“The valley holds in pollen. The air in the valley doesn’t clear out until the wind blows it out,” she said.
Other studies conducted in Europe found pollen season has shifted to begin earlier over the last century, Friesen said.
The NWF’s mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for future generations. It is the nation’s largest conservation organization, with more than 4 million members, partners and community supporters, according to its Web site.
“One thing I hope people learn is that allergies are just another way that global warming will impact our lives,” Staudt said.
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