Environmental pollutants and allergy diseases

A rapid increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases of our times as well as a significant increase in the IgE production in our population cannot be explained only by the genetic influence. Allergy is a growing, special problem of the industrial regions and well developed countries. The environmental factors and style of life seem to be the most important reasons of this phenomenon. The environment in which we live is full of natural and manmade substances capable of causing reactions in susceptible individuals. Xenobiotic--unnatural substances which appeared in polluted environment and act on our immunity may induce the suppression of it and in this way provoke the infection or neoplastic diseases. They may also induce the hyper-reactivity reaction and then become the reason of allergic or autoagression diseases. We distinquish two types of environmental pollution. Type I--with a high level of SO2 which induce infections and the chronic inflammation as a consequence of their irritants and a toxic action and type II pollutants (NOx, O3, VOC--volatile organic chemicals) which promote allergic diseases. The allergy in polluted areas additionally is accompanied very often by pseudo-allergy and toxic reactions. In order to stop the present increasing trend of allergic diseases we must increase our attempts to control allergens and irritants. There is no doubt today that the development of allergic diseases is related to the genetic predisposition and environmental factors.