Carbon associated with hay fever rise

9 April 2011, last updated at 00: 13 GMT by Richard Black environment correspondent, BBC News, Vienna the pollen season carbon dioxide is always longer in Europe, partly influenced by the climate change emissions can be pollen counts in European cities, according to a pan-European study raising.

Researchers from 13 countries, pollen analysis levels for more than 20 species of tree and plant.

They found that many, the allergies such as hay fever, cause even more correlated with rising CO2 levels.

Present their study at the annual meeting of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), said scientists check which trees urban planners, they might need plants.

Hay fever and other allergies seem everywhere in Europe will rise.

In the United Kingdom, GP diagnoses increased allergic rhinitis, the including hay fever, between 2001 and 2005 by a third.

It has been suggested that higher temperatures produce plants could cause more pollen.

But by comparing pollen counts in relatively hotter and relatively cooler years, this latest study found temperature was not the cause.

At the Technical University of Munich said Annette Menzel, eliminate other possible factors been.

"We thought the increase in the amount of pollen was able to land on land use changes related, we not seen but this," she told BBC News.

"We have tried, it link with temperature, but this is not possible."

"So the only effect that what remains a CO2 effect would be;" and we know from experiments in the real world and in constant climate Chambers, the CO2 of the height of the pollen promotes [, the trees produce].

Urban puzzle of the main story you read on

of suffering for people with hay fever season is always serious "

end quote Annette Menzel Technical University Munich data in the study cover came from pollen monitoring points in the 13 Nations, supplemented by tree information of the UN food and Agriculture Organization, and weather data."

Not all 25 species studied show the same trend - pollen have really sunk counts from some.

But 60% of the species have an increase in the pollen production over the decades of the study period, including nine species known for the production of allergens pollen.

There were also differences between trends in different countries, with pollen counts in some fall.

Perhaps the most fascinating finding that pollen in general but not outside have increased counts with CO2 in cities, was.

The researchers suggest that this could be on the longer life of ozone molecules outside of urban areas.

Pollen causes inflammation of the respiratory tract by stimulating the immune system

The gas is known, that interrupting plant grew.

Although more remains be research, points out Professor Menzel team continues to rise in pollen is probably ahead of us, are given the fact that CO2 concentrations increase.

The increasing length of the pollen is the introduction of plants and trees from other continents, in addition to the impact of CO2 linked seasons in Europe.

"In Germany, it is now only in November, the we see no allergenic pollen-, so that the season of suffering for people with hay fever, serious," she said.

"At the local level, planners should consciously, that kind of problems can occur when the urban trees, they are plants."

"Often they use birch, for example, due to its nice silver color not aware that they can be allergens problems behind him."

Many of the researchers on this project are involved in efforts to the plot of impacts of climate change with regard to the timing of natural events such as flowering plant, egg-laying and bird migration throughout Europe - area of phenology.

The hay fever research at EGU are presented briefly for formal scientific publication to written.

View the original article here