Ragweed pollen season worsens in Ukraine
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Trends associated with global warming have made ragweed pollen seasons worse in Ukraine, according to a study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.
“Ragweed is very much prevalent in our country,” Victoria Rodinkova, DrSciBiol, professor in the department of pharmacy at National Pirogov Memorial Medical University in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, said during her presentation. “Ukraine is one of the countries most infested by Ambrosia in the world.”
The university has been responsible for counting pollen in Ukraine since 2009. Between 2009 and 2011, it used three horizontal transacts with Hirst-type Burkhart impact pollen traps to obtain its pollen count data. Researchers read the collected slides at 12 vertical transacts at an altitude of 25 m at 400 times magnification.
In 2009, the Ambrosia — a genus that includes varieties of bursage and ragweed — season began at the end of the first 10-day period in August. More recently, the season has been starting in mid-July. The season also has been ending at steadily later dates since 2010.
“These tendencies will be kept for the next couple of years as trends suggest, so we observe the extension of the Ambrosia pollen season, which means that Ambrosia pollen allergy sufferers will suffer from the symptoms for a longer time,” Rodinkova said.
Seasonal pollen index and the number of days with ragweed pollen concentrations of 10 pollen grains/m3 have increased as well. Total pollen values also are increasing year by year despite government efforts to eliminate Ambrosia.
“Our pollen count suggests that this fight is not very successful,” Rodinkova said.
But these efforts have decreased peak pollen values, according to the researchers. Also, peak daily counts have not changed, and the seasonal peak day has not changed very much, as photoperiodism is the main factor regulating the timing of ragweed flowering.
“Climate change modifies the pollen season, and pollen allergy sufferers can suffer longer with symptoms as the weather also changes here,” said Rodinkova, adding that these data can be used to predict trends in pollen counts and serve the public.