The causes of hay fever – oilseed rape
The number of hay fever cases has been rising steadily over the last few decades and continues to do so. There have been reports of a fourfold increase in the number of hay fever patients consulting their doctors, and it has been argued that this is partly because people are becoming more health-aware and actively seeking answers to their problems. This is undoubtedly true, but should not screen the fact that there has been a real and dramatic increase in the number of people with hay fever, especially in Western societies.
Oilseed rape
It has been suggested that the rise in hay fever cases is in some part due to a great increase in the cultivation of oilseed rape, an annual plant of the mustard family. Oilseed rape, which is used in the manufacture of margarine and cooking oils, is the new cash crop, producing masses of yellow flowers and a distinctive smell. Indeed, the bright yellow fields are widely seen in our countryside and are set to cover yet more cultivated land.
Although some people blame their hay fever symptoms on the pollen from oilseed rape, research has shown that scarcely 4 per cent are allergic to it – and only in the month of May. However, people who live close to oilseed rape fields often complain of a runny nose, watering eyes and throat irritation – which are symptoms of hay fever. Allergy experts state, however, that this reaction cannot be classified as an allergy as it is not actually triggered by the pollen from oilseed rape. They explain that the cold-like symptoms are more likely to be caused by the potent (but organic) chemicals produced by the crop – these give rise to the strong smell. Such chemicals, therefore, are classed as irritants’ and cause sensitivity rather than an allergic reaction.
Pollen from grass is actually the main irritant for the majority of people with hay fever – it is also a true allergen – yet areas of grassland in the UK and other countries are now significantly reduced. As a result, pollen counts have actually declined since the early 1960s. So the question is: why, even when pollen counts are falling, does hay fever continue to gain momentum, with more and more people experiencing symptoms each year?