Commuting With Allergies

Springtime pollen—long recognized as a major trigger of hay fever—appears to have an accomplice in its assault on allergy suffers. The daily commute-- a scene familiar to many of us…

People have observed that on bad air days that, that equals more people showing up with respiratory complaints. The exact reason or exact biologic mechanism of what's going on we don't practically know.

Much of that air pollution comes from gasoline powered vehicles… And while mass transit provides an alternative to the log jam, it cannot by itself shield riders from the increasingly poor air quality around urban centers...

You can't really be allergic to the pollution per se…"

But even though pollution doesn’t cause allergies it can make the symptoms much worst. Recent studies tie air pollution to a spike in certain respiratory allergies—like hay fever.

We've known that people who live on high-traffic areas—with lots of cars going by…people who live in those sorts of environments and are exposed to lots of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They appear to have more respiratory stuff and allergies than other people.

Some commuters have abandoned the combustible engine altogether hoping in small measure to improve the environment…and in larger measure to improve their health:

I don't know of any evidence that shows you can force your lungs to grow, which is what a lot of people think. We do know that being heavy and being sedentary leads to more respiratory symptoms…we know this.

I like it a lot better than cars.

Jef Brayton, who's allergic to grass, combines cycling with his daily rail ride:

It's healthier. It saves me a ton of money because I don't have to pay gas or insurance or anything.

The health benefits of commuting by bike can be a mixed bag: Allergy-prone cyclists run the risk of exposing themselves to greater amounts of air-borne irritants, although experts agree that staying fit by whatever means is generally a good strategy for enhancing the body's immune function:

We want people to be active and healthy.

If you're bothered by bad air, talk to your boss about telecommuting on days when there are dangerous levels of ozone in the atmosphere… reducing your chances of exposure in the first place. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.