Skip to main content

Ad

Thunderstorm asthma, the unexpected impact of lightning storms on pollen allergies

Thunderstorm asthma, the unexpected impact of lightning storms on pollen allergies

Image credit: Michiel Baatsen, (distributed via imaggeo)

In October 2015 a series of massive thunderstorms rolled across the Eastern Mediterranean. In the hours and days that followed many people living along the Israeli coast had to go to their nearest medical centre because they were experiencing respiratory problems, which appeared very similar to asthma. But what could have caused these breathing problems? Well in research recently published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Yoav Yair and their co-authors reveal that these people were probably suffering from thunderstorm asthma.

Thunderstorm asthma is a rare condition, where a severe thunderstorm can increase the number of airborne particles, including pollen and pollution. In the case of the pollens, the high humidity and pressure of very large thunderstorms can cause the pollen grains to break apart, releasing the allergens to the atmosphere in much higher concentrations than normal. These allergens are then forced back down to the ground level in powerful downdrafts. In desert areas, these downdrafts are often very visible as they also collect dust and other tiny particles to form dust walls or ‘haboobs’ that travel out ahead of the storm.


If the thunderstorm happens during a time of year when there is pollen in the air anyway (usually in the spring or summer) the massive increase in pollen-based allergens can cause thunderstorm asthma. Grass pollens are particularly bad offenders here, as the pollens are too large to cause severe allergic reactions normally (usually resulting in milder symptoms like hayfever) but the combination of heavy rainfall AND the pressure and humidity of the storm causes the pollen grains to break apart and release a major allergen. In addition to the allergic reactions caused by the pollen fragments, the lightning itself could make the problem worse, as intense lightning creates atmospheric oxides like ozone. You may recognise these atmospheric oxides as the sizzling smell you can sometimes detect when a lightning storm is nearby. In large enough amounts, ozone can also cause respiratory problems, which just adds to the issues faced by people who are sensitive to these conditions.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Clyde’s Spot" on Jupiter

"Clyde’s Spot" on Jupiter Source: NASA Image credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS   This image from NASA’s Juno spacecraft captures several storms in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere. Some of these storms, including the Great Red Spot at upper left, have been churning in the planet’s atmosphere for many years, but when Juno obtained this view of Jupiter, the smaller, oval-shaped feature at the centre of the image was brand new. Learn more.   

Moon Craters a Window to Earth's Past

Moon Craters a Window to Earth's Past Story by Lonnie Shekhtman (Source: NASA Visualization Explorer) By looking at the Moon a group of scientists is challenging our understanding of a part of Earth’s history. On Earth, asteroid impacts increased by two to three times starting around 290 million years ago. For decades many experts assumed that early Earth craters have been worn away by the wind, storms, and other geologic processes. This idea explained why Earth has fewer older craters than expected compared to other bodies in the solar system, but it made it difficult to find an accurate impact rate and to determine whether it had changed over time. But by studying data on Moon craters from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists found the Moon and Earth have historically shared a similar rate of asteroid impacts. The surface of the Moon is riddled with both ancient craters mostly undisturbed by erosion and craters from modern-day impacts making it the most complete and ac...

Geologists Identify Deep-Earth Structures That May Signal Hidden Metal Lodes

Geologists Identify Deep-Earth Structures that May Signal Hidden Metal Lodes Finding New Giant Copper, Lead, Zinc Deposits Will Fuel Green  Infrastructure by Kevin Krajick If the world is to maintain a sustainable economy and fend off the worst effects of climate change, at least one industry will soon have to ramp up dramatically: the mining of metals needed to create a vast infrastructure for renewable power generation, storage, transmission and usage. The problem is, demand for such metals are likely to far outstrip currently both known deposits and the existing the technology used to find more ore bodies. Now, in a new study, scientists have discovered previously unrecognized structural lines 100 miles or more down in the earth that appear to signal the locations of giant   deposits of copper, lead, zinc and other vital metals lying close enough to the surface  to be mined, but too far down to be found using current exploration methods. The  discovery could grea...