A new study suggests that future allergy seasons will start earlier and be more intense due to climate change. However, a San Francisco allergist is skeptical about the findings.
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"(The study) is probably fodder for a story, but nothing more than that," San Francisco Dr. Michael Reid told KCBS Radio.
The study in question, published on Tuesday in the journal "Nature Communications," finds that by the end of the century, pollen counts could start as much as 40 days earlier and increase as much as 250% — figures which would mean a much more miserable spring in the Bay Area for allergy sufferers.
"It's a little hard to predict, I don't see any big trend because of climate change," Dr. Reid asserted.
He argued that it's an imperfect science, leading to something of a pollen count conundrum.
"It is true that if you have a warm, dry spring you might spring (allergies) on a little bit quicker," he said. "The trouble with that is though if it's dry, as it usually is when it's warm, there's more pollen not less pollen. You get more pollen when it rains a lot — but then also the rain can also tend to bring down pollen counts a bit."
Allison Steiner, a University of Michigan professor who authored the study, told CNN her research is unique because it broke down the individual types of pollen and tree sources by region, analyzing each distinct plant source.
More than 24 million people in the US experience pollen-induced respiratory allergies or hay fever.
Steiner and other study researchers warned that a longer and earlier start to pollen season could trigger a public health emergency.
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