Co-exposure to highly allergenic airborne pollen and fungal spores in Europe

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-12, Vol.905, p.167285-167285, Article 167285
• Main Authors: Myszkowska, Dorota, Bogawski, Paweł, Piotrowicz, Katarzyna, Bosiacka, Beata, Grinn-Gofroń, Agnieszka, Berger, Uwe E., Bonini, Maira, Ceriotti, Valentina, Charalampopoulos, Athanasios, Galán, Carmen, Gedda, Björn, Ianovici, Nicoleta, Kloster, Mathilde, Oliver, Gilles, Pashley, Catherine H., Pätsi, Sanna, Pérez-Badia, Rosa, Puc, Małgorzata, Rodinkova, Victoria, Skjøth, Carsten A., Thibaudon, Michel, Vokou, Despoina, Damialis, Athanasios
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Climatic zones; Fungal spores; Inhalant allergy; Man and the environment; Naturmiljö och människan; Pollen grains
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167285

The study is aimed at determining the potential spatiotemporal risk of the co-occurrence of airborne pollen and fungal spores high concentrations in different bio-climatic zones in Europe. Birch, grass, mugwort, ragweed, olive pollen and Alternaria and Cladosporium fungal spores were investigated at 16 sites in Europe, in 2005–2019. In Central and northern Europe, pollen and fungal spore seasons mainly overlap in June and July, while in South Europe, the highest pollen concentrations occur frequently outside of the spore seasons. In the coldest climate, no allergy thresholds were exceeded simultaneously by two spore or pollen taxa, while in the warmest climate most of the days with at least two pollen taxa exceeding threshold values were observed. The annual air temperature amplitude seems to be the main bioclimatic factor influencing the accumulation of days in which Alternaria and Cladosporium spores simultaneously exceed allergy thresholds. The phenomenon of co-occurrence of airborne allergen concentrations gets increasingly common in Europe and is proposed to be present on other continents, especially in temperate climate. [Display omitted] •Co-occurrence of high pollen and high spore concentrations in Europe was studied.•Five pollen and two fungal spore taxa were considered in different climatic zones.•In central and north Europe, pollen and spores mainly overlapped in June and July.•High pollen concentrations in the South occur usually outside of the spore season.•The annual temperature amplitude influences the simultaneous spores high exposure.