|
|
 |
 |
Sneezing in the Sun Belt
Being in first place isn't always good news. Just ask the people of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America put Tulsa at the top of the list for being the worst city in the country for people who suffer from spring allergies. Most of the other cities are in the Sun Belt that stretches from the South to the Southwest. Dallas, Texas and Fort Myers, Florida are also in the top five.
Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, are caused when tiny particles of pollen are inhaled into the nose and lungs. Plants produce pollen in the spring. This year the winter was unusually mild, so plants will produce even more pollen and the allergy season will last much longer.
Allergies are a disease of the immune system. For people with allergies, exposure to some foreign substances can cause a reaction. In addition to sneezing, people with mild allergies can get rashes or watery eyes. Other people might even experience itchy noses or asthma.
Allergies are inherited, which means that you can't catch allergies from another person. Instead, you are born with a tendency to have them. Allergies can't be cured, but at least they can be treated with medication.
So if you're in the Sun Belt and you suffer allergies, you'd better make sure you have a lot of tissues handy!
I'm Adelbert and that's what happened in Science this week!
Let's locate some of the worse allergy states in this week's Pinpoint game.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
