Columbia rated one of the worst US cities to live in for people with allergies, report says

Columbia has been ranked 14th out of the top 100 worst U.S. cities to live in during the 2022 allergy season, up nine spots from a year ago, a new report states.

According to the new annual report from Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, a nonprofit patient organization for people with asthma and allergies, climate change has helped contribute to a general worsening of allergy season in the United States. Meanwhile, Columbia’s allergy season started early this year and will likely get worse before it gets better in the coming months, a local physician says.

Columbia jumped to the 14th ranking from 23rd in last year’s report. Also, Columbia wasn’t the only South Carolina city to make the list this year. Greenville edged in as the 25th worst.

The report calculates the rankings with a combination of spring and fall pollen scores, the use of over-the-counter medications and availability of allergists and immunologists.

The report states that the National Climate Assessment from the U.S. Global Change Research Program confirms that climate change is a major threat to public health. It warns that as global temperatures rise, extreme weather like heat waves and droughts become worse, creating stagnant air, which can lead to longer and more intense allergy seasons.

“Our main pollen season is in the spring … we’re getting it a little bit earlier this year,” said Dr. Henry Amrol, an allergist-immunologist in Columbia who is affiliated with Prisma Health Richland Hospital. “In the middle of February we already had a high pollen count.”

Amrol warned that people with allergies in Columbia should brace themselves for a long allergy season, given the early start this year.

“We’ve got a good two more months,” Amrol said of spring allergy season.

Amrol said dust mites, animal dander and tree pollen are among the main culprits for causing allergies for Columbians in the spring.

“Oak, hickory and elm are some of the major tree pollinators,” Amrol said.

However, the heavy yellow pollen often seen on the ground and on cars in the spring is not the threat. Because that pollen is so heavy, it stays on the ground and is washed away by rain, keeping it out of people’s noses and mouths, Amrol said.

“It’s the pollen you don’t see that’s the problem,” he said.

These are the top 15 worst U.S. cities to live in during the 2022 allergy season:

1. Scranton, PA
2. Wichita, KS
3. McAllen, TX
4. Richmond, VA
5. San Antonia, TX
6. Oklahoma City, OK
7. Hartford, CT
8. Buffalo, NY
9. New Haven, CT
10. Albany, NY
11. Bridgeport, CT
12. Springfield, MA
13. Dayton, OH
14. Columbia, SC
15. El Paso, TX

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 9:33 AM.

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.