Providence in Top 25 Worst Spring Allergy Cities

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

GoLocalProv Features Team

Is there anything good about being the 21st worst spring allergy city in America? Sure, you could be 1-20.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation has just released its annual Allergy Capitals list, and Providence lands pretty high up in the largest 100 American cities. In other words, this is no easy place during April to stay sneeze-free.

What makes a city sneeze-inducing?

The AAFA uses three basic measures to assign its sneeze/suffering index:

Pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores)
Number of allergy medications used per patient
Number of allergy specialists per patient.

According to the AAFA, "pollen score" is comprised of comprehensive recorded levels of airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores, and prevalence data for each of these specific types of allergens.

Bad pollen puts Providence at 21

Providence was one of only two Northeastern cities to make the top 25 Allergy Capitals (Philadelphia came in at #14, which happened to be Providence's ranking last year). The worst aspect of a Providence spring, says the AAFA, is the overall pollen scores, which were cited as "worse than average." Providence fared "average" on allergy medications and specialists ratios.

The worst cities this year, in order, are: Knoxville, TN, Louisville, KY, Charlotte, NC, Jackson, MS, and Chattanooga, TN. In other words, don't plan your spring vacations there. If you're allergic to pollen, you might just want to consider a weekend in downtown Providence.

For the entire rankings, go here.