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Potential allergy sources lurk inside and outdoors

Web posted May 5, 1998

Name just about any month of the year, and you have named someone's worst allergy season. Allergies to airborne pollen are near the top of the list of chronic diseases in the United States.

Simply put, an allergy is a reaction of the immune system to a normally harmless substance, one that does not bother most people.

Why do substances which cause severe reactions in one person do not in another?

Scientists think allergic tendencies are often inherited from our parents. Evidence also suggests that exposure to allergens when we're in a weakened state can contribute to the development of an allergy.

If you have developed a new allergy, you might think at first you've come down with a bad cold: the symptoms of reactions to airborne substances include sneezing, runny nose, coughing and watery, itching eyes.

One of the more frustrating factors about allergies to pollen and other airborne allergens is the inability to avoid exposure. But how can you avoid something invisible that is everywhere in the very air you depend upon?

As allergy sufferers know, complete avoidance is impossible. Even the most miserable hay fever victim probably wouldn't want to eliminate pollen.Many grasses produce pollen, as do many kinds of trees.Of course, there are also some seemingly useless sources of allergies, substances like mold and dust.

Nevertheless, dust and mold are facts of life, particularly for allergy sufferers. Molds are microscopic fungus spores that become airborne because of their tiny size and weight. Mold spores are so small that they can be inhaled right into the lungs, where a build-up of mucus can result in coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Mold can grow in backyard compost piles or rotting logs in nearby woods, or it can come right from the home, in damp shower stalls, air conditioner filters, old foam rubber pillows and upholstered furniture.

Dust allergies are very common, with symptoms almost duplicating pollen allergies. Household dust can be composed of microscopic clothing lint, mold and fungus spores, skin and food particles and a dozen other items.

With so many potential sources of allergens inside the home and outdoors, any plan to avoid exposure and minimize symptoms needs to be well planned and aggressive. In next week's column we'll discuss how to do exactly that.

If you have a question or would like additional information, write to Shirley McIntosh, Resource Center on Aging, 2803 Wrightsboro Road, Suite 51, Augusta, GA 30909