HEALTH REPORT

A llergies

If your fall hay fever is getting worse, blame global warming.

BY CATHERINE ZANDONELLA, M.P.H.

 

WITH THE CRISP DAYS of autumn, hay fever and asthma surge back into our lives. Fall-pollinating plants release pollen from mid-August until the first frost, which is arriving later and later due to global climate change, say scientists. Moreover, higher carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels and warmer temperatures are driving plants to grow bigger, flower earlier, produce more pollen and survive longer. This adds up to more sneezes—and more misery—both in fall and spring.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEAN-PIERRE KHAZEM