Love and allergies in the city beautiful—Chandigarh, India
Authors: Kapil Goyal, Mini P Singh
Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health (2018)

In the past few decades, deforestation has undergone an enormous growth to meet the increasing demands of a growing population due to urbanisation. The boom in industry and vehicular congestion has degraded ambient air quality in most urban areas. All these factors have contributed to various health hazards as highlighted by Dan Crouse and colleagues.1Crouse DL Pinault L Balram A et al.Urban greenness and mortality in Canada's largest cities: a national cohort study.Lancet Planet Health. 2017; 1: e289-e297Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (156) Google Scholar The authors showed the beneficial effects of increased urban greenness among urban Canadians, leading to a decrease in cause-specific mortality. In an accompanying Comment,1Crouse DL Pinault L Balram A et al.Urban greenness and mortality in Canada's largest cities: a national cohort study.Lancet Planet Health. 2017; 1: e289-e297Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (156) Google Scholar Matilda van den Bosch2van den Bosch M Live long in nature and long live nature!.Lancet Planet Health. 2017; 1: e265-e266Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (7) Google Scholar highlighted that an inherent love for nature is a natural phenomenon and is useful in decreasing the stresses of urban life. However, there are two sides to each coin: an increase in greenery also leads to increase in pollens in the atmosphere leading to increase in allergic ailments. Thus, efforts should be focused on planting those species of trees that shed less pollen and hence pose minimal health hazards for the population that lives in the surrounding area. The beautiful city of Chandigarh, situated in the northern part of India, is a lush green city designed by the famous French architect Le Corbusier.3Chandigarh AdministrationAbout Chandigarh.http://chandigarh.gov.in/knowchd_general.htmGoogle Scholar It is one of a number of well planned cities in India, situated in the foothills of the Shivalik mountain ranges with abundant trees planted on either side of the roads and many well maintained parks. However, this design might have been a contributing factor in the increased incidence of allergic ailments seen among Chandigarh residents.4Kanwar S Pollen allergies bloom in Chandigarh.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Pollen-allergies-bloom-in-Chandigarh/articleshow/34069060.cmsGoogle Scholar Caution must therefore be exercised while making green zones in urban areas; one solution is that so-called perfect-flowering plants (which have male and female parts in same flower and as such are not highly allergenic) should be grown so that the pollination is relatively contained.5FTD FreshThe 24 best and worst plants for allergies.https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/plants-allergiesGoogle Scholar Similarly, monoecious plants (male and female flowers that grow on same plant) also offer an added advantage compared with dioecious plants (which have male and female plants, thus requiring pollen be spread more widely).5FTD FreshThe 24 best and worst plants for allergies.https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/plants-allergiesGoogle Scholar Judicious plantation of urban cities is needed to provide a healthy allergen-free atmosphere. We declare no competing interests. Love and allergies in the city beautiful—Chandigarh, India – Authors' replyWe thank Kapil Goyal and Mini Singh for their interest in our recent Article1 and Comment.2 While we agree generally that increases in urban greenery can lead to increases in pollens in the atmosphere, the evidence for a corresponding increase in allergy ailments is inconsistent.3 Although we cannot comment on the situation in Chandigarh specifically, a Spanish cross-sectional study4 of around 3000 children found no association between current asthma or allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and living near a forest, or with greenness measured within either 100 m, 250 m, 500 m, or 1000 m around the home. Full-Text PDF Open AccessUrban greenness and mortality in Canada's largest cities: a national cohort studyIncreased amounts of residential greenness were associated with reduced risks of dying from several common causes of death among urban Canadians. We identified evidence of inequalities, both in terms of exposures to greenness and mortality risks, by personal socioeconomic status among individuals living in generally similar environments, and with reasonably similar access to health care and other social services. The findings support the development of policies related to creating greener and healthier cities. Full-Text PDF Open Access