Abstract
Pollen is a common allergen that causes significant health and financial impacts on up to a third of the population of the USA. Knowledge of the main pollen season can improve diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. Our objective in this study is to provide clear, quantitative visualizations of pollen data and make information accessible to many disciplines, in particular to allergy sufferers and those in the health field. We use data from 31 National Allergy Bureau (NAB) pollen stations in the continental USA and Canada from 2003 to 2017 to produce pollen calendars. We present pollen season metrics relevant to health and describe main pollen season start and end dates, durations, and annual pollen integrals for specific pollen taxa. In most locations, a small number of taxa constitute the bulk of the total pollen concentration. Start dates for tree and grass pollen season depend strongly on latitude, with earlier start dates at lower latitudes. Season duration is correlated with the start dates, such that locations with earlier start dates have a longer season. NAB pollen data have limited spatiotemporal coverage. Increased spatiotemporal monitoring will improve analysis and understanding of factors that govern airborne pollen concentrations.
Highlights
Pollen allergies are widespread and associated with several chronic conditions, including allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and allergic asthma, with allergic rhinitis the most common (Pawankar et al 2011)
We elected to focus on eleven important allergenic pollen taxa in the Continental USA and Southern Canada (CUSSC) region as determined by their abundance in CUSSC (Table 2) and guided by previous studies (Lewis et al 1983; Park et al 2014; de Weger et al 2013; Emberlin 2009)
As explained in ‘‘Methods,’’ our start date is defined based on an integral of pollen concentrations that begin on the first day of the pollen
Summary
Pollen allergies are widespread and associated with several chronic conditions, including allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and allergic asthma, with allergic rhinitis the most common (Pawankar et al 2011). Allergic diseases impose a significant financial burden in the USA, with direct cost of treatment and medications estimated at $11.2 billion in 2005 (Meltzer and Bukstein 2011), and substantial indirect costs from lower workplace productivity, adverse school performance, and reduced quality of life (Lamb et al 2006; Marcotte 2015; Nathan 2007). This burden is a significant public health concern
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