Allergenic potential of tree lines along cycle tracks in Budapest

Abstract

Introduction: Seasonal allergic rhinitis is a common disease in Hungary and has been considered a national affliction. Pollen information is proved to be an useful tool in the prevention of allergy. Urban green areas could act as a source of allergenic pollen grains. Their burden of allergy caused by green areas could be estimated with mathematical models. Previously models have been applied only on urban parks but not tree lines. The aim of this study is to calculate the proportion of allergenic trees and a model to express allergenic potential of tree lines planted along cycle tracks in Budapest, Hungary.
Methods: In the model, the area and composition of tree species of the tree lines are weighted with their allergenicity given by the medical literature.
Results:Data of ten tree inventories were used in this study, with a total of 2355 trees belonging to 60 taxa (species and varieties). Amongst them, 10 taxa (17%) could be considered as highly allergenic. Common allergenic tree taxa found in the tree lines are: ash, plane and box elder, while birch, alder, willow and oak species appeared only as sporadic elements. The half of the trees (1175 individual trees) blonged to highly allergenic taxa. 31% of the trees (732) belonged to taxa known as moderate allergen.
Conclusions: The model is not recommended in the allergological evaluation of tree lines, because the area definition contains uncertainty but it is suggested to calculate the proportion of allergenic trees in tree lines. Our results draw attention to the need of considering the health effects of tree composition along cycle tracks during future planning of green areas.