Every summer, ragweed pollen fills the air – causing people with ragweed allergies to sniffle and sneeze.
And climate change is now making seasonal allergies even worse and causing them to last longer.
Warmer temperatures and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause some plants to produce more pollen, which can worsen symptoms.
And as winters get shorter, plants can start making pollen earlier in the spring and continue producing pollen later in the fall.
In some parts of North America, this means allergy season now lasts more than three weeks longer than it used to.
Potter: “If you have respiratory allergies, then even one day longer is miserable.”
Teddie Potter is a professor of nursing at the University of Minnesota and director of the Center for Planetary Health and Environmental Justice.
She says allergies can lead to a cascade of health effects ranging from poor sleep to heightened anxiety, reducing overall quality of life.
So Potter recommends that people stay aware of daily pollen counts and talk with a health care provider to find medication and advice on how to alleviate symptoms.
Potter: “Really work with the health professionals to say: how do I get through this season? And what do I do?”
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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