Hypoallergenic Parks May Combat City Allergies in Green Spaces

Imagine if the outdoors didn't cause your allergies to act up. Now imagine if that was due to some new scientific findings. Scientists are taking a closer look at trees in urban green spaces in order to possibly create hypoallergenic parks.

The researchers study how plants in urban green spaces affect air quality of the area. More specifically, the scientists look at how the air quality affects human health. They pay particular attention to the city of Granada, Spain which, like many cities in the Mediterranean area, has the highest occurrence of pollen allergies in the world.

In order to learn a bit more about allergies, the researchers began classifying the trees in Granada's ten largest green spaces. They grouped the trees into three categories. Then, the scientists recorded the type of pollination, the length of the pollination period, and the potential for causing allergies for each tree. The researchers then used the information to calculate if green space was negatively affecting air quality and causing allergies.

The researchers found that many of the most common trees were among the trees causing unhealthy or hazardous air quality. In addition, the design of green spaces don't consider pollen problems.

The researchers now suggest that officials should better plan future green spaces by considering pollen output. If planning takes place, all citizens can enjoy the outdoors.

The latest study is a tool for planning and prevention. The scientists hope that other cities will be able to use their methods to prevent high allergen levels. Doing so may help growing city populations live more comfortably.

The findings are published in the Journal of Environment Quality.

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