The effectiveness of the ragweed eradication campaigns in New York City

Walzer, Matthew; Siegel, Bernard B.

doi:10.1016/0021-8707(56)90002-8

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…As they leave a source, particles are continuously depleted by fallout or impact on projecting surfaces and are diluted by diffusion, vertical convection, and wind action. A minority of particles may be carried for hundreds of kilometers before deposition 17 –19 . Clinical effects are closely correlated with proximity to sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerobiological study of pollen and mold in Seoul, Korea

Lee

et al. 1998

Allergol Int

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In a large number of allergic individuals, inhalant allergens are important causative and triggering agents in respiratory allergies. It is essential to survey the pollen and mold around the patient’s environment for the diagnosis and treatment of airborne allergy. Rotorod samplers were installed at well‐ventilated places in seven collecting stations in Seoul, the capital of Korea, which has a population of 12 million. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from each station for 2 years (1 October 1995 to 30 September 1997). After being stained with Calberla’s fuchsin, they were identified, counted and recorded. The weather in Seoul was also recorded. Pollen was found from the middle of February through to the end of December. The peak date for pollen was 12 May (peak mean daily count: 701 grains/m3/day) and for mold it was 23 June (peak mean daily count: 936 spores/m3/day). Alder, birch, pine, oak, maple, elm, juniper, willow, and gingko trees were prevalent during the tree season, lasting from the middle of February to late July. Then sagebrush, ragweed, Japanese hop, and pigweed followed during the weed season, which lasts from the middle of July to the end of December. In skin prick test results, house dust mite was the most common positive allergen in Seoul, followed by cockroach. Among the pollens, mugwort was the most common positive, followed by ragweed mix, alder, birch, and grasses mix. Among the molds, there were high counts of Cladosporium and Alternaria during the year, excluding January. Ascospore of Leptospheria was highest during the monsoon season.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerobiological study of pollen and mold in Seoul, Korea

Lee

et al. 1998

Allergol Int

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“…If you look at New York City, you could argue that the critical changes in hygiene were complete by 1920 [Table 2]. In keeping with that, allergy became more common and by 1946 ragweed hay-fever was such a severe problem in New York that the city council initiated a ragweed eradication campaign 17, 18 [Table 2] Equally in London, Dr. Frankland’s allergy clinic had hundreds of patients in the 1950’s and he and Dr. Augustin carried out the first controlled trial of immunotherapy for grass pollen hay fever 19 . In fact, the rise in allergic disease was already obvious when Dr. Swineford was appointed as professor of allergy and rheumatology at the University of Virginia in 1935.…”

Section: The Hay-fever Epidemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The allergy epidemics: 1870-2010

Platts-Mills

2015

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

388

283

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Prior to the first description of hay fever in 1870 there was very little awareness of allergic disease, which is actually similar to the situation in pre-hygiene villages in Africa today. The best explanation for the appearance and subsequent increase in hay fever at that time is the combination of hygiene and increased pollen secondary to changes in agriculture. However, it is important to remember that the major changes in hygiene in Northern Europe and the USA were complete by 1920. Asthma in children did not start to increase until 1960, but by 1990 it had clearly increased to epidemic numbers in all countries where children had adopted an indoor lifestyle. There are many features of the move indoors that could have played a role; these include: increased sensitization to indoor allergens, diet, and decreased physical activity as well as the effects of prolonged periods of shallow breathing. Since 1990 there has been a remarkable increase in food allergy which has now reached epidemic numbers. Peanut has played a major role in the food epidemic and there is increasing evidence that sensitization to peanut can occur through the skin. This suggests the possibility that changes in lifestyle in the last 20 years could have influenced the permeability of the skin. Overall, the important conclusion is that sequential changes in lifestyle have led to increases in different forms of allergic diseases. Equally it is clear that the consequences of hygiene, indoor entertainment, changes in diet or in physical activity have never been predicted.

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“…Hay fever first became a problem as early as 1900. Clear evidence for this comes from Noon's description of the development of immunotherapy for hay fever in 1911, the studies on hay fever prevalence by Ratner and Silverman in New York in 1935 and the recognition that hay fever was a major community problem in New York in 1946 (4). More recently, Harold Nelson (personal communication) analysed all the studies on hay fever published in the USA and found a prevalence of approximately 15% in 1960, with no convincing evidence of an increase since then.…”

Section: Hypotheses Regarding the Cause Of The Increase In Asthmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the hygiene hypothesis still a viable explanation for the increased prevalence of asthma?

Platts-Mills

Erwin

Heymann

et al. 2005

Allergy

148

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The hygiene hypothesis states that a reduced exposure to allergens in early life is solely implicated in the growing propensity for allergy sensitization. Important elements of the hypothesis include helminth infection, exposure to endotoxins, exposure to pets and growing up on a farm. However, the hygiene hypothesis alone does not provide an adequate explanation for the observed increase in allergic disease. For example, in North American inner cities, asthma is increasing among children who live in very poor housing, which might be assumed to be somewhat dirty. In order to explain the increase in asthma, we need to take a broader view and also consider alterations related to the adoption of a western lifestyle. It has been suggested that lifestyle changes related to obesity (e.g. a change in diet) are associated with asthma. Other changes include a progressive decrease in physical activity. This lifestyle factor seems to correlate best with the recent increase in asthma. Clearly, the link between physical activity and asthma needs to be investigated in more detail.

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The effectiveness of the ragweed eradication campaigns in New York City

Cited by 14 publications

References 4 publications

Aerobiological study of pollen and mold in Seoul, Korea

Aerobiological study of pollen and mold in Seoul, Korea

The allergy epidemics: 1870-2010

Is the hygiene hypothesis still a viable explanation for the increased prevalence of asthma?

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