Climate change could be increasing your allergies

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last updated 23 March 2015

Every spring, do you find yourself sniffling a little bit more? Blame climate change.

A new report suggests that air pollutants that result from climate change are increasing nasal allergies. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany found that nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone gases may increase the potency of airborne allergens. That, in turn, means more people are suffering from symptoms like sniffling and sneezing during allergy season. The researchers note that roughly 50 million Americans suffer from nasal allergies, and that figure is continually increasing.

The scientists are working to identify additional allergenic proteins that may be affected by climate change so that they can research the effects on the human immune system.