Review

.2018 Jul 25;15(8):1577.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081577.

Aeroallergens in Canada: Distribution, Public Health Impacts, and Opportunities for Prevention

Cecilia Sierra-Heredia¹, Michelle North^{2 3 4}, Jeff Brook⁵, Christina Daly⁶, Anne K Ellis^{7 8}, Dave Henderson⁹, Sarah B Henderson^{10 11}, Éric Lavigne^{12 13}, Tim K Takaro¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. sierrahe@sfu.ca.
² Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H7, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
³ Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
⁴ Allergy Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
⁵ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M3H 5T4, Canada. jeff.brook@canada.ca.
⁶ Air Quality Health Index, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. christina.daly@canada.ca.
⁷ Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. Anne.Ellis@kingstonhsc.ca.
⁸ Allergy Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada. Anne.Ellis@kingstonhsc.ca.
⁹ Health and Air Quality Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3, Canada. dave.henderson@canada.ca.
¹⁰ Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada. sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca.
¹¹ School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada. sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca.
¹² Air Health Science Division, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca.
¹³ School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada. eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca.
¹⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. ttakaro@sfu.ca.

PMID:30044421
PMCID: PMC6121311
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15081577

Review

Aeroallergens in Canada: Distribution, Public Health Impacts, and Opportunities for Prevention

Cecilia Sierra-Heredia et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health.2018.

.2018 Jul 25;15(8):1577.

doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081577.

Authors

Cecilia Sierra-Heredia¹, Michelle North^{2 3 4}, Jeff Brook⁵, Christina Daly⁶, Anne K Ellis^{7 8}, Dave Henderson⁹, Sarah B Henderson^{10 11}, Éric Lavigne^{12 13}, Tim K Takaro¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. sierrahe@sfu.ca.
² Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H7, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
³ Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
⁴ Allergy Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada. m.north@utoronto.ca.
⁵ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M3H 5T4, Canada. jeff.brook@canada.ca.
⁶ Air Quality Health Index, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. christina.daly@canada.ca.
⁷ Department of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences and Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. Anne.Ellis@kingstonhsc.ca.
⁸ Allergy Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada. Anne.Ellis@kingstonhsc.ca.
⁹ Health and Air Quality Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3, Canada. dave.henderson@canada.ca.
¹⁰ Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada. sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca.
¹¹ School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada. sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca.
¹² Air Health Science Division, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca.
¹³ School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z3, Canada. eric.lavigne@hc-sc.gc.ca.
¹⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. ttakaro@sfu.ca.

PMID:30044421
PMCID: PMC6121311
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15081577

Abstract

Aeroallergens occur naturally in the environment and are widely dispersed across Canada, yet their public health implications are not well-understood. This review intends to provide a scientific and public health-oriented perspective on aeroallergens in Canada: their distribution, health impacts, and new developments including the effects of climate change and the potential role of aeroallergens in the development of allergies and asthma. The review also describes anthropogenic effects on plant distribution and diversity, and how aeroallergens interact with other environmental elements, such as air pollution and weather events. Increased understanding of the relationships between aeroallergens and health will enhance our ability to provide accurate information, improve preventive measures and provide timely treatments for affected populations.

Keywords: Canada; aeroallergens; allergy; asthma; atopic march; fungi; pollen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Subsequent to the completion of this work, Michelle North became an employee of Novartis.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The aerobiology pathway of pollens, adapted from [21].

**Figure 2**
Floristic zones of North America, from [14].

**Figure 3**
Adverse immune response in the airway, adapted from [158].

**Figure 4**
Total Canadian population affected by aeroallergens. This estimation of the total allergic population is based on the conservative estimate that 20% of the Canadian population is affected by allergic rhinitis, and the total population of Canada used in this calculation was based on 2016 data from Statistics Canada [175].

**Figure 5**
Effects of climate change on aeroallergens.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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1. Cardaba B., Llanes E., Chacartegui M., Sastre B., Lopez E., Molla R., Del Pozo V., Florido F., Quiralte J., Palomino P., et al. Modulation of allergic response by gene-environment interaction: Olive pollen allergy. J. Investig. Allergol. Clin. Immunol. 2007;17(Suppl. 1):31–35. - PubMed

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Aeroallergens in Canada: Distribution, Public Health Impacts, and Opportunities for Prevention

Affiliations

Aeroallergens in Canada: Distribution, Public Health Impacts, and Opportunities for Prevention

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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LinkOut - more resources

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Other Literature Sources

Medical