South Florida air among cleanest in nation.

South Florida air among cleanest in nation, but watch out for your allergies.


First the good news: The outdoor air we breathe in South Florida has fewer industrial pollutants and is of better quality than most other metropolitan areas in the country.Now the bad: Dry weather and lingering effects from Hurricane Wilma have triggered more dust, smoke and pollen than normally seen this time of the year, making allergy sufferers and people with respiratory conditions miserable.

The American Lung Association's annual report on the nation's air quality found Palm Beach and Broward counties among the cleanest when it comes to soot and particles associated with heavy industry or ozone smog from cars.From 2002 to 2004, Palm Beach's grade for ozone improved from a B to an A, while Broward's improved from a C to a B.But there are other irritants in the air. Even as the report was issued Thursday, local allergists said they are seeing many people complaining of itchy eyes and runny noses from tree and grass pollens. Although pollen levels are only in the moderate range, the defoliation of trees by Hurricane Wilma has caused some trees to grow new leaves and produce pollens on a different timetable from normal years."We're definitely having a more active spring," said Dr. Philip Mirmelli, an allergist with the Florida Center for Allergy and Asthma Care, which has offices in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties."The late refoliation of these trees, combined with the very warm dry spring, plus the normal grasses that tend to pollinate this time of year are all [combining to create] some problems," Mirmelli said.Breezy weather tends to blow the pollen around more, so on a windy day people may suffer more, he said.Another factor is building construction, which can generate dust and disturb the earth, which leads to grasses and weeds germinating and the creation of more pollen, Mirmelli said.Dr. Marilyn Glassberg, a pulmonologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said smoke from brush fires that have occurred because of drought-like conditions this spring can stress people with breathing problems, and trigger allergies.Unlike many regions of the nation, there isn't a typical spring allergy or fall hay fever season in South Florida."Florida allergies start Jan. 1 and go to Dec. 31," said Dr. Morris Beck, an allergist with Asthma and Allergy Associates of Florida. "There's always something out there."Current tree pollens in the air include oak, palms and bald cypress, Beck said, and once the rainy season starts, molds will become a problem for some allergy sufferers."But it's not just what's outdoors," Beck said. "What we're also seeing are things like dust mites indoors in pillows and bedding. They're one of the most allergenic things we have in Florida." Andrew Cuddihy, program director for the American Lung Association of Florida, South Area, noted brush fires triggered by South Florida's drought conditions over the winter months have produced soot and particulate matter in the air. The region's older power plants that burn coal also produce particulate matter making breathing more difficult for people with emphysema and other lung and cardiac conditions, he said."There's always room for improvement," Cuddihy said, "but we're fortunate that we don't have a lot of heavy industry and we have favorable winds coming from the southeast. That's very helpful for us. Overall, there are certainly much less healthy places to live than South Florida."