ORLANDO, Fla. – Last week, HouseFresh released a study looking at which cities are struggling the most with allergies right now.
More specifically, researchers said they analyzed allergen data and statistics on local environmental conditions to figure out which cities and states suffered from the most severe allergies.
“Seasonal allergies affect around five times more people than food allergies, yet they can be much harder to avoid,” the report reads. “Both the seasons and the local climate affect the severity of indoor and outdoor allergies, such as animal dander and pollen. This leads to reactions that range from the irritating to the life-threatening: itchiness, sneezing or even asthma attacks.”
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The study reveals that southern states — Florida included — suffer from the most severe outdoor allergies, largely thanks to its high concentration of grass, tree and ragweed pollen.
As for why the South happens to be the most notorious region for outdoor allergies, HouseFresh provided the following statement:
“Why the South? Rising levels of carbon dioxide lead plants to produce pollen while warming the climate. A warming climate leads to earlier, longer and more intense pollen seasons.
So-called ‘seasonal’ allergies now stretch to fill the whole calendar year in some locations — particularly in the Southern ‘pollen belt,’ where it was warmer to start with and where strong winds circulate more pollen in the air and for longer."
HouseFresh, "The best and worst U.S. states for allergies"
Breaking it down by cities, Laredo in Texas ranked the absolute worst nationwide, reaching the top of the scale in terms of tree pollen.
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But the Sunshine State also had a contender among the worst-ranking cities, with Orlando coming in at No. 5. The data shows that it had incredibly high levels of grass pollen.
On the other end of the spectrum, Miami was actually the Florida city with the best outdoor allergies, sitting with an average “Allergy Score” of just under 4.
Meanwhile, the full ranking of cities with the worst allergies is as follows: