How hayfever can be worse in cities than countryside

FOR thousands of Scots, summer means streaming eyes, a runny nose and itchy skin.

A trip to the countryside can be out of the question during hayfever season.

But scientists have now found that staying at home may actually be worse for city dwellers – because pollution from cars and buses increases the problem.

A map of the worst places for sufferers to live – the first of its kind – has been drawn up and reveals levels of sneeze-causing particles are higher in density in the West Coast of Scotland than anywhere else in Britain.

This means Glasgow is one of the most allergenic cities.

The map shows that from the Border at Carlisle up to Wick, Caithness, there is grass pollen coverage of between 78 per cent and 100 per cent. The cover is matched in the rest of Britain only in rural parts of Wales.

The East Coast of Scotland, including Edinburgh, has very little coverage at all, with the capital having between 15 per cent and 30 per cent grass density, according to the research.

But despite the lack of grass pollen, which affects 95 per cent of hayfever sufferers, the east is plagued by higher nettle levels, which also cause symptoms.

An estimated 13million people in Britain suffer from hayfever, while one in ten have asthma, which in most cases also causes a pollen allergy. The maps, which plot for the first time the abundance of 12 pollen-producing trees and plants, are published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

University of Exeter epidemiologist Dr Nicholas Osborne, who helped produce them, said: ‘We hope these maps contribute to ongoing research that aims to better determine when plants pollenate, allowing us, with time, to provide better warning to allergy and asthma sufferers to enable them to better manage their disease. In the future, more people will know what species they are allergic to.’

The research shows that high mountainous regions in Scotland have lower levels of grass cover than surrounding lowerlying areas.

A previous study found that parts of Glasgow and Aberdeen city centres were among the most polluted in Scotland.

Living near a park may also be a bad idea due to concentrations of certain allergenic trees such as hazel, birch, oak and pine.

Admissions to hospital for asthma spike days after high pollen counts, and it is hoped the maps will help people to better judge the risks.

Dr Rachel McInnes, an honorary research fellow at Exeter University and a senior climate impacts scientist at the Met Office, said: ‘By working towards a localised, species-level forecast, vulnerable people can better plan their activities and manage their condition.’

‘Better manage their condition’