How climate change impacts pollen allergies
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APRIL 19, 2023
When spring arrives, as many as 81 million Americans experience seasonal allergies. And as the planet warms and more carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere, climate change is lengthening pollen seasons and making them more severe.
Worsening allergies are “a really clear example of how climate change is impacting us now, every spring, in every breath that we take. This is climate change in our own backyards, in our own towns and cities. It’s not future generations or other countries or future decades,” said William Anderegg, an associate professor at the University of Utah who has studied the impact of climate change on pollen seasons in North America.
This increased exposure to pollen is particularly dangerous for children, people with asthma, and people who live in areas with high levels of air pollution. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Americans spend over $3 billion on medical costs linked to pollen, with nearly half of those costs coming from prescription medication.
Climate change is making pollen allergies worse
As the planet warms, scientists are seeing two main changes to allergy seasons: allergy season length is longer and pollen levels are increasing.
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