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If pollen allergies are increasing, it is because of global warming and air pollution.
HEALTH – The pollen allergy season is in full swing, and with it all the symptoms that go with it: sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes… If you have been suffering the effects for several years while you were spared before, it is is normal. Pollen allergies are increasing in France, and more and more people are affected. A phenomenon that will continue in the years to come.
“For forty years, we have observed an increase in the quantities of pollen on all our sensors and throughout France. At the national level, almost 30% of people are allergic to pollen, a figure which has almost doubled in 30 years. reveals Samuel Monnier, the communications manager of the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network (RNSA), which takes up ANSES figures.
According to allergist Catherine Quequet, author of the book New allergies(ed. du Rochers), “ half of the population will be affected by any type of allergy” by 2050. These two experts shed light on this phenomenon, which essentially depends on two factors: global warming and air pollution.
Global warming
If global warming plays such an important role in the increase in pollen allergies, it is because of its influence on the lengthening of seasons and pollination periods, but also on their precocity.
The increase in pollen quantities is “especially visible on trees that flower at the end of winter and beginning of spring, and this is linked to the very mild winters that we have had for years”, details Samuel Monnier. With increasing temperatures, trees also flower more quickly, and release a greater quantity of pollen.
“The wind plays an important role in the diffusion of allergenic pollensadds Catherine Quequet. When we see that sand from the Sahara reaches France, we can imagine the power of diffusion of pollens, which are much smaller, very far from their initial production zone. »
Air pollution
According to Samuel Monnier, it is mainly the fine particles of nitrogen dioxide and ozone which constitute an aggravating factor for pollen allergies. “They weaken the respiratory tract of individuals, and the pollen enters more deeply,” he explains. Which thus increases their symptoms regardless of the amount of pollen in the air.
Another effect of air pollution: pollutants attack the pollen grain and deform its walls. The latter therefore break more easily and release allergenic protein. Added to this is the increase in CO2 concentration – which plants need – which also has an impact, according to Samuel Monnier: “The more there are, the more the plants will develop and emit pollen which is more allergenic. »
Plant non-allergenic trees
However, there are ways to limit the increase in pollen allergies, such as planting of non-allergenic or low allergenic trees. The RNSA has also published a guide intended for public authorities to find out the least allergenic plant species, such as pines or poplars.
Catherine Quequet also believes that action must be taken “on indoor and outdoor air pollution, and also help to control the inflammatory phenomena that promote allergies”. But in the meantime, she reminds us of some preventive actions to adopt: washing your hair in the evening, wearing sunglasses, not doing outdoor sports or gardening in sunny and windy weather or even airing your house early in the morning and late in the evening, outside of pollution peaks.
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