Evaluation Of The Allergenicity Index, In The Environment Of A Regional Hospital In Central Argentina

Abstract

The presence of green areas favors the physical and mental health of the population. However, some plants can also cause health problems. In this sense, the management of urban green spaces is of great importance, especially in the vicinity of health centers. Many trees, and some shrubby and herbaceous plants, can cause pollen allergies. Among the herbaceous area The Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, which include plants common in disturbed areas such as quinoa, Russian thistle and morenita, implicated in summer and autumn allergies, and Poaceae such as Lolium spp. and Cynodon dactylon, which cause spring and summer allergies. In the trees and landscaping of cities, plants are used with various criteria that rarely take into account their allergenic potential. This characteristic is of great importance and, especially, when what is vegetated is an area of a hospital. In Europe, indices were developed to determine the Potential Allergenicity Value (VPA) of the species that make up a green space which, combined with a set of parameters, also makes it possible to calculate the Allergenicity Index of Urban Green Areas (IUGZA). The objective of the work was to characterize the species used in the area of the Ramón Carrillo Regional Hospital in the province of San Luis (Argentina), according to their VPA values and, to their different vegetated areas, according to the potential risk they present for the production of pollinosis, through the calculation of the potential IUGZA (IUGZAp). The area surrounding the hospital was divided into 11 areas, using Google Earth plus, and the IUGZAp was calculated for each of them, using the VPA values of each species registered and the estimation of its theoretical maximum volume. According to the results, in none of the areas does it reach the threshold value of 0.3, which indicates risks of pollinosis. The maximum IUGZAp obtained were 0.155, 0.116 and 0.114 in areas adjacent to the east, south and west of the parking lot and 0.135 in the Residence area. However, since the trees are recent and many specimens have not yet reached the reproductive stage, the index could increase. In the work, recommendations are made about the species that should be avoided and their management, in order to avoid pollinosis problems in people who come to the hospital.