Human exposure to allergenic pollens: A comparison between urban and rural areas

Abstract

a b s t r a c tBackground: Pollinosis is found more frequently in urban areas than in rural environments. This could be partly related to the different types of pollen exposure in these dissimilar areas. The objective of this study was to compare the distribution of pollen in these environments across an urbanization gradient. Methods: Daily pollen abundances were obtained in France using Hirst-type sensors. Sampling was conducted from January to June in 2003 and 2006 in a rural area, a semi-rural area and in two urban areas, which were characterized by several urbanization criteria. Results: Total allergenic pollen abundance was higher in rural and semi-rural areas than in urban areas irrespective of the sampling year. Multivariate analyses showed that pollen exposures differed according to the type of area and were strongly explained by the urbanization gradient. Grass, ash, birch, alder, hornbeam, hazel and plantain pollen quantities exceeded the allergy threshold more often in rural settings than in urban areas. In urban areas, only plane pollen quantities exceeded the allergy threshold more often than in rural areas. Conclusions: Allergenic pollen exposure is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and the most abundant pollen in each area did not originated from the same taxa. This result should be taken into account in epidemiological studies comparing allergies in rural and urban areas to adapt the panel of pollen extracts for human environmental exposure. In addition, this study highlights that some ornamental trees produce a large number of allergenic pollens and provide new sources of aeroallergens.

Seasonal variations of allergenic pollen in a Mediterranean region – Alexandroupolis, north-east Greece

“…Atmospheric pollen is the single most important inducer of allergies in susceptible individuals; thus, tight monitoring of phenological parameters is necessary to predict public risks. Plant pollination occurs on a seasonal basis, according to ecological and climatic factors that are specific for a region [14,15].…”

Do <b><i>Plantago lanceolata</i></b> Skin Prick Test-Positive Patients Display IgE to Genuine Plantain Pollen Allergens? Investigation of Pollen Allergic Patients from the North-East of France

“…are also abundantly present in this climatic region and might potentially play a role in allergic rhinitis while information is so far limited. Other allergenic plants frequently found in this region of France are grasses, ash, birch, oak, and mugwort [1,[10][11][12][13]. Several IgE-binding molecules of plantain pollen have been reported by immunoblots using patients' sera and mass spectrometry-based methods [8,[14][15][16].…”

“…English plantain typically flowers between April and September and shows an overlapping pollination season with grasses [2,5,6]. It grows mainly in temperate climate zones and is native in the north-east of France [5,[7][8][9][10]. Other Plantago spp.…”

Exposure of Betula pendula Roth pollen to atmospheric pollutants CO, O3 and SO2

“…The direct effect of air pollutants on pollen and on its allergenic potential is currently an important scientific subject. However, the effect of air pollutants on the allergenic potential of pollen is not yet completely clear, but it has been suggested that it contributes to increase allergic sensitisation (Traidl-Hoffmann et al, 2009;Bosch-Cano et al, 2011;Sousa et al, 2012).…”