by Joyce Good Henderson

Created on: June 16, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

It's a Chamber of Commerce's nightmare: a list of the ten worst cities for allergy sufferers. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has compiled a list of the ten worst places to live in the U.S., based on pollen counts, the use of medicine by people with allergies, and number of allergists living in these cities.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget supplies the information to this non-profit organization. However, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which receives one-third of its funding from pharmaceutical companies, gives extra weight to pollen counts when combining the three sets of data to come up with the rankings.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the 10 worst U.S. cities for allergies are:

Louisville, Kentucky

Knoxville, Tennessee

Charlotte, North Carolina

Madison, Wisconsin

Wichita, Kansas

McAllen, Texas

Greensboro, North Carolina

Dayton, Ohio

Little Rock, Arkansas

Augusta, Georgia

Lexington, Ky., has he dubious distinction of being the worst city in the U.S. for allergies. What lands Lexington and the other nine cities on the list? A major consideration is what types of plants grasses, trees and weeds grow in the area. Local weather, wind, humidity and temperature, as well as the length of the growing season, contribute. Air pollution also plays a role in causing allergies.

Allergy experts are drawing some conclusions:

If you live near a river basin, you can expect higher pollen and mold spore counts because of the humidity.

In the mountains, there are fewer plants, but more evergreens which produce a short pollen season.

Along the coasts, sea breezes can keep the air cleaner, but you must live less than mile from the ocean.

The allergy season is growing longer, possibly due to global warming. Years ago, the summer season lasted four to six weeks between March and May. In recent years, the season has extended to six to eight weeks.

Some weeds, such as ragweed, thrive in higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, hence area of greater air pollution tend to produce higher pollen counts.

Air pollution and high ozone levels can also produce symptoms which mimic allergies, such as runny nose, cough and watery eyes.

Experts also caution people not to depend too heavily on the list of the ten worst cities because allergies affect one person differently than another. Being allergic to tree pollen doesn't mean you will be allergic to ragweed, for example. No studies are available comparing one city to another, nor is there enough specific information to determine which cities are the most allergy-free. If you suffer from allergies and live in one of the ten worst cities, talk to your doctor about allergy testing, and what measures you can take to minimize and relieve your allergy symptoms.

Learn more about this author, Joyce Good Henderson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.