TORONTO -- Scientists and researchers have been raising flags on the worsening allergy season driven by climate change.
Health sciences researcher and professor Cecillia Sierra Heredia from Simon Fraser University says multiple environmental factors, including the rise in temperature, play a role in the overproduction of pollen that triggers allergic reactions in some.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a complex system that brings together the temperature, CO2 levels and also precipitation; all of these environmental factors come together and the plants respond to them by starting their flowering season and throwing their pollen in the air earlier and in larger quantities,鈥� Heredia told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Monday.
found, between 1990 and 2018, pollen activity increased by 21 per cent across North America, including Canada. Additionally, researchers found the average allergy season was extended by 20 or more days over the last three decades.
An increase in pollen is not the only thing driving allergy-sufferers up the wall. Wildfire season has also worsened over time, contributing to air pollution that compounds the effects.
鈥淲e have evidence that climate change is contributing to this worsening and creating a lot of air pollution,鈥� Heredia said.
鈥淪o our respiratory (system) has had this double whammy that triggers air pollution with inflammation and the proteins from the pollen.鈥�
COMBATING ALLERGY SEASON
Heredia says there is still time to fight climate change by enacting local initiatives that will soothe the impact of allergy season for all, including planting more female and native flowers and plants.
Developing a balanced mix of female and male trees would aid in this process as female trees don鈥檛 produce pollen, however planting too many of them might become messy as they grow more fruit and seeds.
For those combating their own allergies, Heredia recommends taking a shower before bed to remove any pollen off of the body, as well as keeping dirty laundry away from the bedroom. Taking the right vitamins and keeping windows closed while inside would also aid the immune system in its fight against allergens.
