Researchers in Mexico are studying the effect of pollen and spores on the incidence of human allergies in Mexico City. “Pollen produced by shrubs and trees is the most abundant in the city, but is not considered in the diagnosis of allergies,” researcher Irma Rosas of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the public National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) told Tierramérica.

The study, being carried out jointly with the Metropolitan Autonomous University, the Autonomous Universities of Baja California and Sonora, and the public Mexico City General Hospital, is analyzing the vegetation found in Mexico City and its relationship with urban bioclimatic indicators.

During 2011, the inhabitants of the Mexican capital breathed clean air on 122 days, according to the Metropolitan Air Quality Index.