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Study: Dallas is worst city in Texas for pollen allergens, 2nd in U.S.

A report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America identified the most challenging cities for pollen allergies in the most populous metro areas in the U.S.

DALLAS — Ah-choo! 

If you live in Dallas, you have heard those sneezes and seen your fair share of people trying to relieve itchy, puffy, irritable eyes (or done it yourself). That's because it's much worse here than most of America.

Dallas is the worst city in Texas and the second-worst city in the U.S. for pollen allergies, according to a study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

The AAFA released its 2023 Allergy Capitals report and Dallas ranks 2nd in the U.S. The only city in the U.S., according to the AAFA, with worse pollen allergen conditions is Wichita, Kansas.

The report looks at these five factors: tree, grass and weed pollen scores, over-the-counter allergy medicine use and availability of board-certified allergists/immunologists.

Dallas' overall score in the report was 87.26. Wichita was 100. The average score was 71.49. Dallas' subtotals for the three pollens and medicine use were noted as "worse than average," and the subtotal for specialists was labeled as "average."

Here is the top 20 allergy capital rankings (according to the AAFA):

  1. Wichita, Kansas
  2. Dallas, Texas
  3. Scranton, Pennsylvania
  4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  5. Tulsa, Oklahoma
  6. Sarasota, Florida
  7. Cape Coral, Florida
  8. Orlando, Florida
  9. Des Moines, Iowa
  10. Greenville, South Carolina
  11. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  12. Houston, Texas
  13. Little Rock, Arkansas
  14. Miami, Florida
  15. Lakeland, Florida
  16. Raleigh, North Carolina
  17. Palm Bay, Florida
  18. Tampa, Florida
  19. Greensboro, North Carolina
  20. Rochester, New York

On page 18 of the report, breaks down the city rankings specific to the types of pollens. Dallas ranked second for tree pollen, fourth for grass pollen and 26th for weed pollen. 

Read the full report here.

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