Allergic to Christmas trees? The answer may lie in a good shake and a garden hose
Allergic to Christmas trees? The answer may lie in a good shake and a garden hose
Christmas Trees can trigger allergies and asthma.
The good news: There are steps that can help prevent allergic responses, and they're not difficult to try.
Dr. Elena Lewis, an allergy specialist at Asthma Allergy Centers of SW Michigan in Kalamazoo, said evergreen varieties are actually pollinating in the spring, not at the time of harvest, so their pollen should be no issue. “That is a heavy pollen that isn't a significant allergen anyway, even in the spring," she said. But people may start sniffing and sneezing in the presence of the live tree, she said, because of other pollens from grasses that may piggyback into the house on the tree.
“The pollens that do end up on trees are grass and ragweed pollens,” Lewis said.
Ragweed, a fall allergen, can adhere to needles before harvest, and so can molds, if the fall has been damp, she said. Both can greatly reduced by simply hosing off the tree before it is brought into the house, she said.
A trickier problem may be grass pollen that sticks to the tree's sap in the spring. When trees begin to dry after several days in the house, the sap dries out, releasing the trapped pollen particles into the air, Lewis said.
Those can be attacked by either letting the tree dry in the garage for awhile before hosing it off and bringing it into the house, or by limiting the number of days the tree is indoors, to avoid the drying that allows pollen to be released, she said.
Marsha Gray, executive director of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association, said most tree farms offer a free machine shaking of trees, too, intended to drop loose needles but effective for shaking off any residual pollen as well.
And Gray's quick to point out that whatever a fresh real tree might be carrying is, at least, fresh — unlike the 5-year-old dust that may have piled onto an artificial tree that is stored in a basement or attic every year.
Oh, and the ornaments? Don't forget to wipe them off, too, Gray said.
Lewis agreed that artificial trees can, indeed, harbor dust and molds, and that they, too, need care to reduce the chances of triggering an allergic reaction.
She said it is usually sufficient to wipe down each branch with a damp cloth during assembly, and to store the tree in plastic when it is not in use.
If there was water damage in the basement near the tree's storage area, Lewis advised adding a little mold-fighting bleach to the wash water as well.
An artificial tree that is properly stored may offer a slight advantage in the allergy department, Lewis said, “ but if a family is really into getting a real tree for the whole experience,” she recommended taking the precautionary steps, or perhaps simply putting the tree up closer to Christmas and taking it down soon afterward.
Although her office doesn't see many patients with tree allergies, she said, some people do develop a sensitivity to Oleoresin of Balsam, a “classic contact allergy” that results in a rash similar to poison ivy in sensitive people who handle trees with their bare hands.
Wearing gloves and a long sleeved shirt will offer adequate protection, she said.
This article appeared in mlive.com 8.12.11