title: Changes to airborne pollen counts across Europe.
abstract: A progressive global increase in the burden of allergic diseases has affected the industrialized world over the last half century and has been reported in the literature. The clinical evidence reveals a general increase in both incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases, such as allergic rhinitis (common hay fever) and asthma. Such phenomena may be related not only to air pollution and changes in lifestyle, but also to an actual increase in airborne quantities of allergenic pollen. Experimental enhancements of carbon dioxide (CO[Formula: see text]) have demonstrated changes in pollen amount and allergenicity, but this has rarely been shown in the wider environment. The present analysis of a continental-scale pollen data set reveals an increasing trend in the yearly amount of airborne pollen for many taxa in Europe, which is more pronounced in urban than semi-rural/rural areas. Climate change may contribute to these changes, however increased temperatures do not appear to be a major influencing factor. Instead, we suggest the anthropogenic rise of atmospheric CO[Formula: see text] levels may be influential.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany. ziello@wzw.tum.de
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ziello
authors.forename: Tim H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Sparks
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Estrella
authors.forename: Jordina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Belmonte
authors.forename: Karl C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bucher
authors.forename: Maria Antonia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brighetti
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Damialis
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Detandt
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galán
authors.forename: Regula
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gehrig
authors.forename: Lukasz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grewling
authors.forename: Adela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez Bustillo
authors.forename: Margrét
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallsdóttir
authors.forename: Marie-Claire
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kockhans-Bieda
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Linares
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Myszkowska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pàldy
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thibaudon
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Travaglini
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uruska
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Valencia-Barrera
authors.forename: Despoina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vokou
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wachter
authors.forename: Letty A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: de Weger
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menzel
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis; D057231:Climate Change; D005060:Europe; D005843:Geography; D011058:Pollen
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens