Why children's seasonal allergies are soaring with climate change
The fit grandmother is the first in the country to complete 500 Parkruns
ALTHOUGH it doesn’t feel like we’ve had the warmest of springtimes this year, the fact remains that climate change has resulted in a year on year rise in global temperatures.
Last year, 2023 was recorded as the hottest year ever for Ireland in 124 years. Followed closely by the previous year 2022, which was the second warmest year for our country since meteorological monitoring began.
What has all o f this got to do with seasonal allergies you might wonder? And why are we seeing an increase in the number of children suffering with seasonal allergies here in Ireland?
While many children might actually enjoy some of the effects of climate change – like milder winters and hotter summers at home – there are far-reaching health consequences beyond the UV index when it comes to global warming.
The prevalence of allergic rhinitis — more commonly known as hay fever — amongst children is rising. So much so, a unique worldwide epidemiological research programme — the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), has been established.
It has recorded evidence of a significant rise in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis across all of the childhood age groups, including an increase from 13 to 19 per cent during an eight-year period in 13-year-olds.
Here in Ireland, a smaller study in Cork showed a 3 per cent increase in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis to almost 11 per cent during a 5-year period in six- to nine-year olds.
Climate change contributes to an earlier, longer, and more intense allergy season for over a million people living in Ireland that suffer from hay fever, including around 20 per cent of children.
As the planet heats up, a longer growing season for plant life combined with the increased carbon dioxide output from fossil fuels, has resulted in a huge increase in seasonal allergy complaints. Our warming climate gives plants more time to grow and release allergy-inducing pollen.
In the pharmacy, I am seeing patients looking for symptom relief from their allergic rhinitis a little later than usual this year. This is largely to do with the heavier than normal rainfall we have experienced this Spring, which helps to clear the air of the pollen which causes the allergy symptoms and has delayed the season for some tree pollens.
We are all familiar with the link between carbon pollution from the of burning fossil fuels and the effect on climate change. However, you might question what this has got to do with the pollen count? A lot as it turns out, studies show that the higher levels of CO2 actually increases pollen production amongst our flora and fauna.
Children are especially sensitive to the climate change impacts of increased pollen and airborne allergens. This is because they are still growing and developing, and they spend more time outdoors.
Children also have less control over their surrounding environments and less understanding of health risks. Instead, they rely on their adult caregivers to help protect their health, whether that’s at home, in school, or engaging in sport or recreation outdoors.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease of both children and adults in Ireland. Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition which affects 10 per cent of Irish children. The prevalence of asthma in Ireland is among the highest in the world.
While the two might not seem related, unfortunately allergies and asthma often go hand in hand. Unfortunately, up to 80 per cent of patients with asthma also suffer from hay fever and any rise in airborne pollen can cause a sudden reduction in their lung function and an increase in bronchial hyper-responsiveness.
The marked increase in overall temperatures in Ireland recorded in the last couple of years has caused high levels of tree pollen to surge. This creates what is known as a ‘pollen bomb’ effect to occur. These dangerous increases in pollen levels in recent years has caused a lot of health concerns for allergy sufferers, in particular with those who are asthmatic.
In Ireland, there are around 400,000 people living with asthma and about a third of these are children. The most common type of asthma in children is allergic asthma, where their allergies are the main triggers for their asthma symptoms. It is most prevalent in early childhood.
The increase in allergy sufferers, especially amongst asthmatic children is not only worrying to their parents, but also to the health system. Asthma Ireland estimate that this debilitating condition already costs the State €472 million per year.
Allergic rhinitis is a nasal or sinus allergic condition that affects about a quarter of all Irish people and around 20 per cent of children.
There are more than 30 types of pollen and 20 types of spores, all of which can trigger hay fever allergy symptoms. Any increase in the pollen count on a spring, summer and now even autumn days, can cause hay fever symptoms. These include sneezing, coughing, a streaming or a blocked nose, sinus pain, itchy or water eyes, breathing difficulties, headaches, daytime fatigue from allergy symptoms and disturbed sleep at night.
Hay fever allergy symptoms can significantly disrupt a person’s life during pollen season, in particular children when their recreation may have to be limited to decrease exposure to the airborne allergens. A child’s sleep can also be significantly affected by their allergic rhinitis, as is their ability to concentrate in school. This can prove especially difficult for those in secondary school and university where the big exams take place at the start of the summer.
PROTECTING CHILDREN’S HEALTH
PARENTS and caregivers can protect children’s health, now and in the future, by helping to minimise the harmful effects of seasonal allergies in a changing climate. Key steps to help protect children who suffer from allergic rhinitis or hayfever include:
÷ RESPOND TO SYMPTOMS, NOT SEASONS.
CHILDREN with allergies may experience symptoms earlier or later than usual as growing seasons expand and shift as our planet continues to heat up and our climate changes. For example, this year alone has seen a two week delay in some tree pollens due to wet conditions.
÷ MINIMISE EXPOSURE.
CHECK for the next day’s pollen count online using Met Eireann’s pollen count tracker and try to plan your children’s day accordingly. When pollen concentrations are high, consider limiting time outdoors for children with allergies or asthma.
÷ CREATE A SAFE CLEAN AIR SPACE INDOORS.
CLOSE windows and doors to minimise aero-allergens inside. On high pollen days, use the natural salt therapy method to purify the rooms where your child will play and sleep. The quiet Salin Plus Air Purifier device can clean the air in a room up to 55 square metres, which is quite significan considering a large master be room is around 20 square metre and a single bedroom half of tha The salt therapy air treatment scientifically proven to provid therapeutic effects for man allergy symptoms, as well as reli for respiratory conditions lik asthma and bronchitis.
If you need to go out for you sanity or that of your childre consider a trip to the beac
Here’s how your children can have a happier summer by keeping pollen at bay
instead of the tree-lined lush grassy park. The proximity to water and the sea breeze will disperse the minimal pollen in the vicinity. The salty air from the sea will also help with respiratory hay fever symptoms.
PROTECT BODY CONTACT POINTS:
ENSURE babies and children wear wraparound sunglasses to help prevent any pollen reaching their eyes. The Hay Max Balm is a natural solution containing Aloe Vera, which is applied around your child’s nose before they go outside. This helps to catch pollen before it gets into their nasal passageways.
Using a barrier moisturiser on your child, such as the La Roche Posay Lipikar balm can also be really helpful by preventing pollen from being absorbed into the skin. Use the Nuage Hayfever Relief wipes which work by removing and trapping pollen, dust, and pet allergens. Enriched with tea tree and peppermint oil, these biodegradable wipes can be used at any age by gently wiping the face, neck and hands when exposed to pollen.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE:
CHILDREN over the age of three can try the Hay-Bands acupressure arm bands, which are completely drug free and are based on Chinese medicine. Unfortunately, these are not suitable in pregnancy because the Kai Chi pressure point that they stimulate may bring on labour.
HOUSEKEEPING TIPS:
SIMPLE housekeeping tips and practices can help to prevent pollen from making its way into your home. Shake all outerwear clothing like coats and jackets, that have been worn outside before coming into your home. Shower, change and wash your child’s clothes if they have been outdoors when the pollen count is high. Hair washing is also recommended as the pollen particles will cause a reaction when they fall on to their pillow at night-time.
Try not to hang clothes or bedsheets outside to dry when the pollen count is high as airborne pollen particles will land and cause allergy symptoms when brought inside. Vacuum your home regularly to try and remove any pollen particles on the floors and use a damp cloth to dust surfaces in the living space. Try to keep doors and windows closed during high pollen count days.
Keep pets as clean as possible with regular brushing and wipe downs with a damp cloth to remove pollen from their coat, particularly if you have a dog that likes to roll in grass.
AT the age of 62, Monica Flanagan is running her way round Ireland. For the Dublin-based civil servant has become the first person in the country to complete 500 Parkruns. Parkrun is a worldwide community that sees millions of people all over the world taking to their local parks every weekend to run, jog or walk 5kms. And since setting up in Ireland on November 10, 2012, there have been thousands of parkrun events all over the country, between the adult runs and the Junior Parkruns where children between the ages of 4 and 14 years run 2kms.
The camaraderie and community aspect of the event is what first attracted Monica to Parkrun and since she started running, Monica has been travelling around Ireland to do various courses as well as her home run of Malahide.
Monica, who is married with two children and became a grandmother last October, started running when she was about 20.
‘My sister Maura ran all her life and when I was about 20 she said to myself and my other sister Bernie ‘Let’s do a marathon’. So the three of us were going to train for the Dublin City Marathon. And then Maura discovered she was pregnant so Bern and I went on training.
‘I had an accident on my bike in the middle of the training. And I hurt my foot.’
Monica considered dropping out but then decided it would be a waste of her training.
‘ I thought I put all that work, and I just have to go back. So then I did the Dublin City Marathon in 1982.’
Strangely Monica wasn’t hooked on running and gave up after the marathon she ran.
‘I didn’t run again for 20 years,’ she says. ‘ And then at one stage I was trying to lose a bit of weight; it was my daughter’s first communion, I just wanted to be a little bit lighter. So I started walking and that was in 2002. I was doing a lot of walking then I started walking greater distances and I walked the Marathon that year.
‘And then I started to run a bit when I was walking up the road. What I do is I’d say ‘When I get to a certain lamp post, I’d run to the next one. And then I’d stop and I’d
walk. So this is after walking the marathon. And then it’s sort of you know, instead of running from one lamppost to the other, I’d run to two lampposts and I gradually started running again and that was it.’
Monica has actually done the Marathon now so many times, she has actually lost count of how many.
‘For me it was never really try and get a better time or improve myself every year I would just sign up. The objective for me was I would run or walk and I would do longer distances but it was never a competitive thing. It was the high you get when you do a marathon and the people cheering along the way and other family members doing it.
‘I didn’t really keep track of how many I did.’
Around 2012, Monica saw an advert in her local paper for Parkrun and it was the Saturday after the Dublin City Marathon.
‘I didn’t go to the first one but some of my friends did so I went to the next one,’ Monica explains.
‘The first run was in Malahide,’ she says. ‘Some people focus on their times and want to improve their personal bests and so on but I got
‘There are so many people I’ve met through them’
my personal best the very first Parkrun I did and I’ve never achieved it since.
‘My time has gradually gone down but for me it’s the people you meet along the way.
‘There are so many people I’ve met and have coffee with and if it wasn’t for Parkrun I wouldn’t have those friends.
‘You are walking or running along and people are chatting and if you are having a bad day people will run or walk with you.
‘You meet complete strangers who will lift you up and keep you going when you think you can’t go any further.’
Monica is also a dedicated Parkrun volunteer, helping at the junior events including being one of the run directors at Rockfield Junior Parkrun on Sundays,
‘Volunteering actually is the best way to get to know people, because the people you volunteer with might be running the week after.’
There are post-Parkrun coffees and chats with people who were initially strangers and this community aspect is the thing that Monica enjoys so much about the event, after her 5kms.
Anyone can sign up at parkrun.ie to take part in the 5kms to run, walk or jog at one of the 110 events around the country.
And even if you can’t manage 5kms,
you can sign up solely as a volunteer and help organise the events which are run completely by volunteers.
Monica’s fastest time ever was around 25 minutes for her 5kms and now she is around 30 minutes.
At the minute because of a hip injury she is taking it slowly and is around 33 minutes.
Now she travels around Ireland to various courses and events to meet new people and see new things on her Saturday Parkrun.
‘One of the main reasons is because I actually love to go to different
Parkruns,’Monica says.
‘Every course is different. And you meet new people, but once you get to a different course, everything works exactly the same as your home run does. You know, it’s the same system the whole way around. But you meet new p eople at every one.
‘I have done runs in the UK. I’ve done Holland, we got really lucky with Holland,’ she explains. ‘Just before COVID started, Holland were having their very first Parkrun on February 29 2020. The chance of getting to a park on a Leap Year to do the first one in the country as well was great. And I’ve done Germany and the US as well because my son lives in Dallas.’
Monica’s daughter lives in Newcastle in England so she has also done many runs round Britain. And her advice to anyone who is considering it is just to go along to your local park run.
‘At first you won’t know anyone and you’ll feel a bit odd — if you are like me you might feel a bit lost initially. But listen to the director’s announcements and then when he says go, just go.
‘‘And do it whatever way you like walk or run, there are marshals and a tailwalker so you’ll never get lost. And if someone says would you like to go for a coffee then take them up on that offer and be a part of the community which is the most important part,’ she says.
‘The Junior Parkrun I volunteer at is in my local community and you get to know children and parents and that has added a completely different dimension to my life too.
‘You are meeting people of all ages so you have a whole range of friends and areas you are connecting with.’
And as far as being a record breaker in Ireland goes, Monica is modest although she enjoyed the celebrations and was awarded a special 500 run t-shirt.
‘It wasn’t something I set out to do, it just happened,’ she explains. ‘And just so many people were there to congratulate me at Malahide. The celebration of the 500th was brilliant and really opened my eyes so much more to all the people I’ve met along the way.’
See parkrun.ie for information on how to sign up and for your nearest course.