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Zahradníková E, Rendeková A, Ščevková J. Temporal variation of allergenic potential in urban parks during the vegetation period: a case study from Bratislava, Slovakia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:2026-2041. [PMID: 38052730 PMCID: PMC10791852 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31137-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Park greenery represents an oasis for urban residents; however, during the flowering period of trees that produce allergenic pollen grains, these areas threaten individuals suffering from seasonal allergic respiratory diseases. In this study, we evaluated the temporal distribution of the allergenic potential of three most important urban parks in Bratislava over the vegetation period, using a modification of the Urban Green Zone Allergenicity Index (IUGZA) and Individual-Specific Allergenic Potential Index (IISA) designed as a running index - rIUGZA and rIISA. We found that rIUGZA gives better information for park management and revitalization, since it considers the potential size of woody plants, while rIISA, considering the actual size of the vegetation, provides more relevant information for pollen-allergy sufferers. Based on rIISA, the allergenic potential was highest in May for the Grassalkovich Garden (formal baroque garden) and Janko Kráľ Park (English landscape park) and in April for the Medic Garden (repurposed baroque garden). We also found differences in the duration of the period of increased allergenic potential in these parks, ranging from 1 to 3 months. Based on the total annual sums of rIISA, we found the highest allergenic potential in the Medic Garden and lowest in the Janko Kráľ Park. This variance is caused mainly by the different density of trees and percentage of allergenic species. The biggest contributors to the allergenic potential were Platanus, Acer and Tilia. Based on the information on temporal variation of the allergenic potential during the vegetation period provided by the running indices, it is possible to improve the planning of park revitalization based on the flowering period of allergenic species and provide better information to the pollen-allergy sufferers for minimizing the allergenic effect of urban green areas on their health during a particular month.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Zahradníková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Alena Rendeková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Ščevková
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Révová 39, 811 02, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Liu Y, Kwan MP, Wong MS, Yu C. Current methods for evaluating people's exposure to green space: A scoping review. Soc Sci Med 2023; 338:116303. [PMID: 37866172 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
People's exposure to green space is a critical link between urban green space and urban residents' health. Since green space may affect human health through multiple pathways regarding diverse human health outcomes, the measurement of people's exposure to green space must be tailored to concrete study contexts and research questions. In this scoping review, we systematically categorized the available green space representations and metrics in the last two decades that can be used to derive people's exposure to green space regarding different research topics. A three-phase systematic review was conducted after a generalized search of relevant research articles from the three most-used publication databases, namely Scopus, the Web of Science, and PubMed. We identified 260 research articles that particularly discuss green space representations and metrics. We further developed a multi-pathway framework to articulate the complicated context issues in green space studies. We categorized the most relevant green space representations and metrics into five groups, including green space indices, the delineation, inventory, and usage of green space, the spatiotemporal evolution of green space, the attributes and components of green space, and the green space landscape and fragmentation. Finally, we discussed the inter-conversion between different green space representations and metrics, the "mobility-turn" in green space studies and how it may affect the derivation of people's exposure to green space, and other potential methodological issues in measuring people's exposure to green space. Our scoping review provides the most comprehensive framework and categories for deriving people's exposure to green space to date, which may strongly support a broad range of studies that concern green space's health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Mei-Po Kwan
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Institute of Future Cities, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Man Sing Wong
- Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Land and Space, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Changda Yu
- Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Frisk CA, Adams-Groom B, Smith M. Isolating the species element in grass pollen allergy: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 883:163661. [PMID: 37094678 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Grass pollen is a leading cause of allergy in many countries, particularly Europe. Although many elements of grass pollen production and dispersal are quite well researched, gaps still remain around the grass species that are predominant in the air and which of those are most likely to trigger allergy. In this comprehensive review we isolate the species aspect in grass pollen allergy by exploring the interdisciplinary interdependencies between plant ecology, public health, aerobiology, reproductive phenology and molecular ecology. We further identify current research gaps and provide open ended questions and recommendations for future research in an effort to focus the research community to develop novel strategies to combat grass pollen allergy. We emphasise the role of separating temperate and subtropical grasses, identified through divergence in evolutionary history, climate adaptations and flowering times. However, allergen cross-reactivity and the degree of IgE connectivity in sufferers between the two groups remains an area of active research. The importance of future research to identify allergen homology through biomolecular similarity and the connection to species taxonomy and practical implications of this to allergenicity is further emphasised. We also discuss the relevance of eDNA and molecular ecological techniques (DNA metabarcoding, qPCR and ELISA) as important tools in quantifying the connection between the biosphere with the atmosphere. By gaining more understanding of the connection between species-specific atmospheric eDNA and flowering phenology we will further elucidate the importance of species in releasing grass pollen and allergens to the atmosphere and their individual role in grass pollen allergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl A Frisk
- Department of Urban Greening and Vegetation Ecology, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway.
| | - Beverley Adams-Groom
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
| | - Matt Smith
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom
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Sauliene I, Valiulis A, Keriene I, Sukiene L, Dovydaityte D, Prokopciuk N, Valskys V, Valskiene R, Damialis A. Airborne pollen and fungi indoors: Evidence from primary schools in Lithuania. Heliyon 2023; 9:e12668. [PMID: 36685406 PMCID: PMC9850001 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of children suffering from respiratory allergies and asthma has been increasing worldwide and, hence, it is crucial to understand the burden of inhalant biological particles present in school facilities, where children spend one third of their life. From the perspective of indoor air quality, while there are numerous studies on outdoor bioaerosol exposure, there are still uncertainties regarding the diversity and deposition of airborne pollen and fungi indoors. When it comes to schools, there is limited research as to the potential bioaerosol exposure. Here we studied the indoor environment of public schools aiming to reveal whether primary schools of different sizes and at localities of different levels of urbanization may exhibit a variability in the biodiversity and abundance of particles of biological origin, which could pose a risk to child health. To achieve this, 11 schools were selected, located in a variety of environments, from downtown, to city centre-periphery, and to the suburbs. Fungal and pollen samples were collected from various surfaces in school classrooms and corridors, using passive air sampling and swab sampling. We demonstrated that fungi and pollen are detected in school premises during and after the vegetation season. The highest diversity of bioaerosols was found on the top of cabinets and windowsills, with Penicillium, Cladosporium and Acremonium being the most abundant indoors. The levels of fungi were higher in schools with more students. The diversity and amount of pollen in the spring were significantly higher than in samples collected in autumn. Our findings complemented existing evidence that bioaerosol measurements in schools (including kindergartens or informal education facilities) are vital. Hence, we here suggest that, in addition to monitoring air quality and bacterial levels indoors, fungi and pollen measurements have to be integrated in the existing regular biomonitoring campaigns so as to prevent exposure, increase awareness and manage efficiently allergic symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrida Sauliene
- Institute of Regional Development, Siauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Siauliai, Lithuania
| | - Arunas Valiulis
- Clinic of Children's Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania,Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ilona Keriene
- Institute of Regional Development, Siauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Siauliai, Lithuania
| | - Laura Sukiene
- Institute of Regional Development, Siauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Siauliai, Lithuania
| | - Dovile Dovydaityte
- Institute of Regional Development, Siauliai Academy, Vilnius University, Siauliai, Lithuania
| | - Nina Prokopciuk
- Clinic of Children's Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vaidotas Valskys
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | - Athanasios Damialis
- Terrestrial Ecology and Climate Change, Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece,Corresponding author.
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Rodríguez-Fernández A, Oteros J, Vega-Maray AM, Valencia-Barrera RM, Galán C, Fernández-González D. How to select the optimal monitoring locations for an aerobiological network: A case of study in central northwest of Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154370. [PMID: 35276149 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Airborne pollen concentration varies depending on several factors, such as local plant biodiversity, geography and climatology. These particles are involved in triggering pollinosis in a share of worldwide human population, and adequate monitoring is, therefore, important. However, the pollen traps in aerobiological monitoring networks are usually installed in cities, and the features of the whole territory are not taken into account. The aim of this study was to analyze what environmental parameters are more suitable as regards setting up monitoring stations throughout a territory in order to obtain an aerobiological network that can represent environmental diversity. The analysis was carried out in 13 locations in Castilla y León over an 8 year period. This is a favorable territory in which to conduct this type of study owing to its climatic features, orography and biodiversity. The ten most abundant pollen types in the region were analyzed, and a clustering analysis was calculated with different distances so as to obtain homogeneous groups of stations. Moreover, the clusters obtained were analyzed in combination with altitudinal and different bioclimatic parameters, which derived from temperature and precipitation. The result here shows that the Castilla y León aerobiological network RACYL represents most of the environmental variability of the territory. Furthermore, it can be divided into two clusters and five sub-clusters for which the start of the main pollen season is different. This corresponds with the division of the territory as regards bioclimatic conditions. The most important bioclimatic parameters were the seasonality of the precipitation and the maximum temperature of the warmest month, although orography must also be taken into account. All of these help discover the optimal places in which to install traps and could reduce the number of monitoring stations. This study additionally provides data for unmonitored areas with similar bioclimatic conditions to those monitored.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology, Plant Physiology, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | | | | | - Carmen Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology, Plant Physiology, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Delia Fernández-González
- Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Spain; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate-CNR, Bologna, Italy
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