Taken from an article in the LA Times
The sneezing, eye-watering, itchy-throated misery that comes with allergies is on the rise, led by a growing numbers of Americans sensitive to mold. The study, to be released by Quest Diagnostics Health Trends, identifies the U.S. cities where allergies to mold are most common, based on test results for allergens nationwide. Those sensitive to mold were most plentiful in Dallas, Riverside-San Bernardino, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The study found that sensitization to mold increased 15% and 12%, respectively, over the study's four years.
To make matters worse, the study suggests that environmental allergy sufferers -- now almost 1 in 5 Americans -- have a longer season of suffering, another apparent result of climate change.
An increase in mold allergies, which the Quest researchers also hypothesized are linked to climate change, is particularly worrisome, the study notes: Mold allergies exacerbate asthma and are a key trigger of allergic sensitization.
