An increasing trend

Nearly 13 percent of 600 respondents in the 2010 study said they battle asthma. In contrast, the rate of Texas residents with asthma is 6.5 percent, according to 2009 figures, the most recent period of available state data.

Asthma causes to airways narrow and swell, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. The most common symptoms are coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Asthma can’t be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled.

Richardson said there is little the Health Department can do to address the asthma problem.

“We don’t have funding for chronic disease prevention,” he said, adding that his department operates on a $2.3-million budget.

There are usually four factors that trigger asthma: genetics, allergies, respiratory infections or environmental factors, such as pollution, Richardson said. While conceding that the causes for Amarillo’s cases need more research, the city’s asthma problem appears to be mostly tied to genetics and allergies, he said.

Meganne Walsh, a pediatrician who runs a clinic in the 700 block of North Polk Street, said the majority of her asthma patients suffer seasonal asthma. She said they usually show symptoms during the spring or fall, when the allergen count is highest.

“About 20 to 25 percent of my patients have asthma,” Walsh said, adding that she has between 3,000 and 4,000 patients. “Some have it bad, where they have to take (treatment) every day. Others, have it when they do extreme activities such as sports.”

Nabarun Ghosh, a biology professor at West Texas A&M University, said Amarillo’s high asthma rate is probably due to a combination of factors, including wind-driven pollen, crop farming and the worldwide increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

One type of mold considered a major trigger of asthma is alternaria, Ghosh said. The Texas Panhandle has a large farming community and a source of mold is dying crops, he said. “Of the mold growing on the surface of plants when dying off, 90 percent is alternaria,” Ghosh said.

Since 2000, Ghosh has collected allergens and air particles by using a machine called the Burkard Spore Trap. The machine has a green fan-like blade and sits on WT’s agriculture and natural sciences building.

Ghosh said his work has shown there has been an overall increase in molds the past few years. His data shows there were 800 to 900 alternaria per cubic meter Wednesday. On Aug. 15, 2008, the alternaria count was 500 to 600 per cubic meter.

The mold count is generally the same throughout an entire season, Ghosh said.

Ghosh said one well-known place that has registered an increase in pollens is Palo Duro Canyon State Park. He said the canyon has a 20- to 30-mile trail of ragweed, which is known to produce a great deal of allergens. The ragweed trail he’s seen is shaped like a funnel, he said.

“About three years ago, there were simple patches (of ragweed), not that continuous trail,” Ghosh said. “Now it’s continuous.”

Strong winds carry pollens from border states, Ghosh said. Pollen from a species of highly allergenic conifer trees in Oklahoma have been found in the Panhandle, he said.

Ghosh said he’s been working on projects to help asthma and frequent allergy sufferers.

One of Ghosh’s projects, a collaboration with a Las Vegas company, is an air purifier that uses no filter. He said the purifier uses ultraviolet light to attack air allergens and floating bacteria. He said the purifier combats indoor allergens.