Monitoring and perception of allergenic pollen in urban park environments

authored by

Nadja Kabisch, Thomas Hornick, Jan Bumberger, Roland Krämer, Rupert Legg, Oskar Masztalerz, Maximilian Bastl, Regina Treudler, Susanne Dunker, Jan C. Simon

Abstract

Urban green spaces are highly important for the health and well-being of urban residents, especially under conditions of ongoing climate change and urbanisation. However, vegetation in urban parks may also present a risk to human health through the presence of allergenic plants and release of allergy-inducing pollen. Using the city of Leipzig as a case study, we monitored pollen abundance in two inner city parks and on the roof of a central university hospital during the pollen season in 2021. We also conducted a questionnaire survey with 186 city residents. Questions related to their allergic symptoms, perceived physical and mental health impairment, potential behavioural adaptations due to expected pollen exposure, and suggestions for urban planning. We found nine plant genera with particularly high concentrations of pollen across the monitoring sites, including especially Alnus and Betula. While a high proportion of trees planted in one of the parks were Betula, potentially explaining the high concentrations we monitored, the high pollen load for Alnus could not be explained by the local presence of Alnus trees at either park. A majority of respondents (61%) indicated they suffered from pollen-related allergic symptoms, with Betula pollen most often mentioned as a main cause of their health impairment. Of respondents with symptoms, 82% indicated they did not change their park visitation patterns due to expected pollen exposure. However, nearly two-thirds of the respondents took allergy medication at least once per week. Participants’ recommendations for urban planning included considering allergies when selecting species for planting, improving urban air quality, and advancing public pollen information and warning systems. We conclude that particularly allergenic trees, such as Betula, should be avoided in densely populated urban areas, because of the potential for a large number of residents to experience allergy symptoms. However, such species should not be completely avoided, as plant diversity is still a crucial element of ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change and urbanisation. Combining objective and subjective data on the burden of allergenic pollen, as was done in our study, can help derive such targeted policy recommendations.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Digital Landscape Ecology Group

External Organisation(s)

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin)
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)
Medical University of Vienna
Leipzig University
University of Leipzig Medical Center
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Type

Article

Journal

Landscape and urban planning

Volume

250

No. of pages

12

ISSN

0169-2046

Publication date

10.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ecology, Urban Studies, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105133 (Access: Open)