Pollen Allergy in a Changing Planetary Environment

Abstract

Airborne pollens are one of the common causative and triggering agents of respiratory allergy in a changing planetary environment. A growing number of people worldwide are contracting allergic diseases caused by pollens. The seasonal variations in pollens have occurred everywhere and the sensitization rate to pollens has increased in children as well as in adults. Moreover, allergenic plants, such as ragweed and Japanese hop, grow in soil damaged by human's activities and deforestation with air pollution. It is impossible to avoid plants that cause allergies, because pollens can travel many kilometers in the breeze or wind. Hence, it is essential to survey and forecast pollens for the management of pollen allergy. Weather conditions may alter pollen concentrations. A number of studies have shown that increases in CO2 concentration and atmospheric temperature raise pollen concentration. Hence most of the studies on the impact of climate change on aeroallergens must include the amount and allergenicity of pollens. It is yet unknown whether complex interactions with pollens, meteorological variables, and air pollutants in the changing environment. Considering the effect of climate change on the long-term trends in pollen levels and emerging viral infection, it is crucial to forecast and eliminate the associated risk for human health in future and take appropriate measures to reduce it.

Keywords: Pollen allergy; aeroallergens; air pollution; calendar; climate change; forecast; respiratory allergy; sensitization rate; viral infection.

Conflict of interest statement

There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2022 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease.

Figures

Fig. 1. (A) Open top chambers at the National Institute of Forest Science in Suwon, Korea and (B) its internal view showing a CO2 injection nozzle and plants. Permitted from Kim et al.

Fig. 2. The start and end dates of the pollen season for the major allergenic tree pollens in the Seoul metropolitan area during the past 22 years. Permitted from Lee et al.

Fig. 3. Age distribution of sensitization rates to the major pollens in the Seoul metropolitan area during the study period. Between 1998 and 2019, pollen-sensitization rates increased in children et al.

Fig. 4. Pollen calendars for (A) Seoul, (B) Gangneung, (C) Daejeon, and (D) Jeonju stations. At the Seoul station, the peak concentrations of pine, oak, ginkgo and Japanese hop pollens are high (A). At the Gangneung station, the peak concentration of pine pollen is particularly high, while those of birch, oak, elm and mugwort pollens are moderate (B). The peak concentrations of oak and pine pollens are very high at the Daejeon station (C). At the Jeonju station, the peak concentration of pine pollen is very high and those of oak and elm pollens are high (D). Permitted from Shin et al.