If you have some seasonal allergy, what are generically defined as “pollen”, it is possible that you have noticed that in recent years The situation is worsening: The season itself seems to have stretched, and it seems that there are more pollen in the air a few years ago.
Well, it is not just your impression: as Professor Christine Cairns Fortuin of Mississippi State University explains on The Conversationthe allergies are really worsening, and the fault is, among other things, of global warming.
Why does pollen do us sneezes? Before starting, it is worth mentioning that Fortuin’s study is related to the situation in the United States Southeast, where the Professor lives, an area that has become a case of study for the worsening of the allergic situation. His explanations, however, are applicable all over the world, because the basic problem is always the same: in Spring, plants free male gametophytes in the air, in the hope that female ones will fertilize.
These pollen, for reasons that are not yet completely clear (the allergies are not fully clarified from a medical point of view), trigger the immune defenses of some individuals, who find themselves in this way with the dripping nose, irritated eyes And all the other symptoms of an allergic attack. Even those who do not suffer from allergy still risk suffering the consequences of a high concentration of pollen in the air, because it is still of microparticles that go to “disturb” our respiratory system.
Perfect storm. This is the theory, but why does it seem that there are more and more pollen in the air? The “fault” is of the plants that exploit the wind to spread gametophytes: it is a very imprecise method, a problem that plants solve by producing large quantities of pollen in the hope that at least some grains will arrive at your destination. In recent years, several studies (for example this) have shown that plants produce more and more pollen, and the fact that face more and more stretches the allergies season.
Then there is the problem that global warming is creating increasingly frequent winds, which contribute to the spread of pollen. Even the thunderstorms, also more and more frequent, help in dispersion, not to mention the fact that the most violent ones manage to shatter the granules of pollen, giving rise to even smaller particles that can go up to the lungs. In short: It’s hotter, there is more wind, it rains more and plants produce more pollen – The perfect allergic storm.
