Climate change could sting allergy, asthma sufferers
Climate change affects more than just the earth, according to this story in the USA Today.
- Climate change is making allergy season last longer.
- Regional allergies are increasing and changing as climate changes: longer pollen seasons and changing plant and tree life
- The change is particularly evident in Alaska, where the average winter temperature has risen 6.4 degrees. The higher the winter temperature, the earlier the snow melts - and the earlier the snow melts, the earlier the pollen cycle begins.
An excerpt of the article is below. Read the full article at USA Today.
Climate change could sting allergy, athsma sufferers
By Serena Gordon, HealthDay
USA Today, May 11 2009
Climate change isn't only bad for the Earth, it may be bad for your health — especially if you have allergies or asthma.
Global warming is making pollen seasons last longer, creating more ozone in the air, and even expanding the areas where insects flourish, putting more people with bee allergies at greater risk, experts say.
"Climate change will cause impacts in every area. Wet areas will get wetter, and drier climates are getting drier," said Dr. Jeffrey Demain, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska, and a clinical associate professor at the University of Washington.
Those changes will mean more people with allergies and asthma will suffer. In wet areas, mold allergies will spike, while in drier areas pollens and other airborne irritants will become more of a problem, he said.
Read the full article at USA Today.
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