Hayfever almost a year round problem as climate change lengthens the pollen season
October 2024: Hayfever sufferers are likely to be feeling worse for longer as climate change increases the number of days in the year when conditions are ripe for the allergy.
Across every UK nation between 1994 and 2023 at least an additional half a day per year is being added to the hayfever season, with some cities of the UK effectively experiencing hayfever conditions for a month longer in 2023 than they were in 1994.
The story was featured in the Daily Express and the Clacton Gazette.
Image: Daily Express
An analysis by Round Our Way and Climate Central found that south coast cities such as Weymouth, Bournemouth and Poole and other towns like Reading, Basingstoke and Aldershot experienced hayfever conditions for 253 days out of 365 in 2023.
All analysed cities experienced an increase in the length of the hayfever season over the past 30 years.
Increases between 10 and 30 days were observed in all cities.
Weymouth, England saw the largest increase in hayfever season length, with an increase of 30 days observed from 1994 to 2023
Another 148 cities experienced an increase during this time of at least 20 days including (but not limited to) cities such as London, Doncaster, Wembley, Clacton-on-Sea, Cambridge, Exeter and Westminster.
London, East of England, and South West were the areas that experienced the largest increases, with 21-23 days added from 1994 to 2023.
Of the 4 countries that make up the United Kingdom, the hayfever season in Wales experienced the largest increase during this time, with a 22 day increase.
England and Scotland saw increases of 20 days Northern Ireland observed an increase of 17 days
In Wales the number of days with hayfever conditions has increased by almost 22 days extra per year since 1994, with Scotland (20.4), England (20) and N.Ireland (17) also experiencing more days.
This is in line with the Met Office’s predictions; it says a changing climate may lengthen the normal UK pollen season and make concentrations of pollen higher. Some research has shown that air pollution may make pollen grains more potent and more likely to trigger an allergic reaction. (Is hay fever getting worse in the UK?)
Scotland
In 2023 Scotland experienced 145.6 days with conditions ripe for hayfever, up from 97.5 in 1994. Edinburgh had the highest number of hayfever days in 2023 (153 days), up from 117 in 1994.
England
In England there were 187.6 days with conditions conducive to hayfever in 2023, compared to 152.5 in 1994. Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Dorset were among the towns and cities with the highest number of hayfever days, with 220 days each.
Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is an allergic reaction to the pollen produced by plant life, causing symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes, and a runny nose. Warmer temperatures caused by climate change can lead to longer growing seasons for plants that produce pollen, resulting in extended periods of allergy symptoms for sufferers. Additionally, increased carbon dioxide levels can enhance pollen production, making hay fever more severe. Temperatures between 13 to 15 degrees are ideal for the release of tree pollen while grass produces pollen when temperatures are 18 to 28 degrees.
Roger Harding, Director of Round Our Way, an organisation that supports people impacted by weather extremes in the UK, said:
“Hayfever is becoming an almost year-round problem for sufferers in the UK. Longer hay fever seasons are just one of the health impacts Brits are facing as temperatures in the UK rise.
“As we all see around us, climate change is making Britain warmer and a lot wetter. We urgently need politicians to make sure we are better prepared for the worrying new weather we’re facing and to tackle the pollution that is causing it.”
Michelle Young, Climate Impacts Research Associate at Climate Central, said:
“Over the past 30 years, rising air temperatures have not only increased the overall number of pollen-producing days but have also led to periods of unexpected early-season pollen production.
“As a result, seasonal allergy sufferers are experiencing symptoms earlier in the year and for longer stretches than ever before. Without urgent action to reduce carbon emissions, climate change will continue to extend and disrupt pollen seasons, worsening its impact on public health.”
Gemma Plumb, and Climate at Weather Change, said:
"We are seeing changes in temperatures and rainfall here in the UK as a result of climate change, and this in turn may be having an impact on the pollen season. For some this may be leading to the pollen season becoming longer, which is just one of the ways people are being impacted by climate change."
“Hayfever makes life miserable”
Hayfever sufferer Holden Outhwaite, 21, lives near Middlesbrough, where he is looking for work as a sports physiotherapist.
He said: "Like a lot of people I get a runny nose, itchy watery eyes and sneeze. I can certainly believe the season is becoming longer due to climate change, it does seem to go on for a long time and it can make life pretty miserable for a lot of people.”
Mr Outhwaite said he takes antihistamines throughout the summer months, and the price really varies depending on brands and shops.
He added: "For some people hayfever is extremely debilitating. I think antihistamines should be free, as some people might really struggle to buy them. What if an entire family suffers?"
Sufferers concerned about apparent shift in hayfever season
Claire Shah, 24, from Edinburgh, was first diagnosed with asthma aged six and was hospitalised at age 13 for a few days. Eleven years on she takes an antihistamine every day, regardless of the pollen count.
Mrs Shah’s lived experience helps in her work as a health promotion officer for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.
“Allergies and asthma are far more prevalent in health conversations now, including in the World Health Organisation and the UN,” says Mrs Shah, who lives in Edinburgh.
“A lot is to do with education and it is key to know what triggers you and what to do when you do not feel right. This can change according to the season.”
Mrs Shah said there are lots of discussions about how the hayfever season may have changed.
“I am interested to see how this will impact people. It all highlights the importance of everyone knowing the appropriate measures to keep people safe and knowing what to do if there is an emergency.”
Education is key
Pam Cumming, 53, from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, is a newly-appointed health promotion manager at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.
She has been asthmatic since primary school and says “it is very much pollen related”. Her asthma and hayfever are well controlled, with preventative inhalers and an antihistamine taken year round for the last three years.
She also has emergency medication for idiopathic angioedema, whereby there is swelling in tissues under the skin, possibly caused by allergens.
Mrs Cumming said that while “winters up here are severe compared to down south and icy temperatures are often associated with asthma, crops and flowers are affected by changing seasons and longer hayfever periods can be attributed to changes in pollen levels”.
“Well controlled hayfever and asthma have made a difference and whilst I still feel the effects they are not as bad as they once were,” Mrs Cumming says.
Overall, she says, “Education is key. Always have inhalers with you, take your medication as prescribed and be aware of your triggers”.
Mrs Cumming’s husband Iain now has hayfever too, with sneezing and watering eyes. He never had it before “but in the last couple of years it has developed”.
