CHICAGO — Allergy sufferers hoping for some relief from an unrelenting spring might experience some irritation from a new Natural Resources Defense Council report that ranks Chicago as the sixth "Sneeziest and Wheeziest" city in the U.S.
The Natural Resources Defense Council's report says Chicago serves a "double-whammy" of some of the most notorious pollutants.
According to the report, "As a consequence of living in a state where ragweed and ozone intersect, Chicagoans are more likely to suffer from itchy eyes, runny noses and sneezing, and they may find it hard to breathe."
Other issues included in the report was the "already ... troubling and dangerous" levels of people living with asthma in Chicago, according to Brian Urbaszewski, director of the Environmental Health and Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.
"Climate change makes the issue of ozone for asthma even worse than it should be and it's already bad now," he wrote said in the NRDC report. "Addressing carbon pollution will help millions breathe easier, literally."
Baiju Malde, a physician and allergy specialist at Northwestern Medicine, has said neighborhoods across the city were falling victim to a later-than-usual tree-budding season — causing the springtime allergy season to linger with stronger effects.
The report's main author, Juan Declet-Barreto, said this news is especially troubling in a city like Chicago, where more than 700,000 residents suffer from respatory problems like asthma or chronic diseases — earning the city an F grade with the American Lung Association.
Chicago ranks ninth nationally as a top contender for the worst places for those with asthma to live when compared against over 220 cities across the country.
Number one on the 35-city list for sneezing and wheezing was Richmond, Virginia. Memphis, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tennessee, rounded out the top five.
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