Spring allergy season projected ‘worst’ yet

“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” last year lampooned the allergy industry for claiming that 2015 was the “worst allergy season ever.” Just as 2014 was the “worst season” before that, and 2013 the “worst season” before that. And on and on as far back as 2008.

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Prepare yourself, because the 2016 spring allergy season was expected to be the worst allergy season ever, ever.



“Unfortunately, it’s true that in the past few years, the amount of pollen in the air during spring allergy season seems to have gotten worse,” stated allergist Bryan Martin, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “One of the reasons is the effects of climate change. Increased carbon dioxide from longer growing seasons as a result of warmer weather has a positive effect on pollen production. That means a negative effect on those suffering from pollen allergens.”



A few factors, including the mostly mild winter in late 2015 and the presence of El Niño, meant that the 2016 spring allergy season was expected to be more significant than in previous years. El Niño produces more precipitation, which means more pollen-producing flora, and warmer weather means that flora grows earlier in the year each year, extending the spring season by as much as two weeks in the past 10 years, according to the World Allergy Organization.



The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently noted that the increase in allergies are now impacting as many as 30% of all adults and as many as 40% of all children.