|
The Asthma and Allergy workgroup first began in 2005 as the State Environmental Health Indicators Collaborative (SEHIC) Asthma workgroup with the purpose of developing and pilot-testing chronic respiratory disease-related indicators of population health that are known to be related to environmental conditions. These include asthma hospitalizations, asthma emergency department visits, and chronic lower respiratory disease mortality. More recently, the workgroup has been interested in aeroallergens, such as pollen and mold, and its relationship to respiratory conditions, such as asthma, in the United States. The workgroup developed a set of indicators to track pollen season timing, pollen concentration and pollen type (e.g. oak, birch, maple pollen). Since the first Pollen Summit in May 2015, the workgroup has been focusing its efforts on the development of a national aeroallergen monitoring network. The second Pollen Summit was held in February 2016 in Atlanta, GA. The goals of this Summit were to: |
- Share the latest research regarding the many faces of pollen, including its interconnectedness to health, climate, food security, and adaptation efforts
- Develop the specifications for a national pollen monitoring network
- Finalize a CSTE position statement in support of a national pollen monitoring network
- Develop a strategic plan for the promotion, education, advocacy and funding needed to implement the monitoring network
- Provide networking opportunities
|
The 2015 Pollen Summit report, 2016 Pollen Summit Report, 2017 Pollen Summit Report, and the presentations from the 2016 Summit and 2017 Summit are available for reference. |
|
The Asthma and Allergy Workgroup currently meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 3pm ET for hourly conference calls. For more information or to be added to the listserv, please contact Hayleigh McCall at hmccall@cste.org. |
|
Workgroup Products |
|
Articles of Interest |
- United States Global Change Research Program Climate & Health Assessment
- The Relation of Stroke Admissions to Recent Weather, Airborne Allergens, Air Pollution, Seasons, Upper Respiratory Infections, and Asthma Incidence, September 11, 2001 and Day of the Week
- Pollen Overload Seasonal Allergies in a Changing Climate
- The National Allergy Bureau: Pollen and spore reporting today
- The Associations between Daily Spring Pollen Counts, Over-the-Counter Allergy Medication Sales, and Asthma Syndrome Emergency Department Visits in New York City, 2002-2012
|
|