Risk of exposure to airborne Ambrosia pollen from local and distant sources in Europe – an example from Denmark
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2015, Vol 22, Issue 4
Abstract
[b][/b][b]Background. [/b][i][/b]Ambrosia artemisiifolia[/i] L. is a noxious invasive alien species in Europe. It is an important aeroallergen and millions of people are exposed to its pollen. Objective. The main aim of this study is to show that atmospheric concentrations of [i]Ambrosia[/i] pollen recorded in Denmark can be derived from local or more distant sources. [b]Methods.[/b] This was achieved by using a combination of pollen measurements, air mass trajectory calculations using the HYPLIT model and mapping all known [i]Ambrosia[/i] locations in Denmark and relating them to land cover types. [b]Results. [/b]The annual pollen index recorded in Copenhagen during a 15-year period varied from a few pollen grains to more than 100. Since 2005, small quantities of [i]Ambrosia[/i] pollen has been observed in the air every year. We have demonstrated, through a combination of Lagrangian back-trajectory calculations and atmospheric pollen measurements, that pollen arrived in Denmark via long-distance transport from centres of [i]Ambrosia[/i] infection, such as the Pannonian Plain and Ukraine. Combining observations with results from a local scale dispersion model show that it is possible that [i]Ambrosia[/i] pollen could be derived from local sources identified within Denmark. [b]Conclusions.[/b] The high allergenic capacity of [i]Ambrosia[/i] pollen means that only small amounts of pollen are relevant for allergy sufferers, and just a few plants will be sufficient to produce enough pollen to affect pollen allergy sufferers within a short distance from the source. It is necessary to adopt control measures to restrict [i]Ambrosia[/i] numbers. Recommendations for the removal of all [i]Ambrosia[/i] plants can effectively reduce the amount of local pollen, as long as the population of [i]Ambrosia[/i] plants is small.
Authors and Affiliations
Janne Sommer, Matt Smith, Branko Šikoparija, Idalia Kasprzyk, Dorota Myszkowska, Łukasz Grewling, Carsten A. Skjøth
Keywords
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