Christmas trees are an indispensable part of many families during Christmas. However, they pose many potential dangers that can cause health problems.
December is the time when everyone prepares to celebrate Christmas. When it comes to Christmas, it would be a mistake to forget the image of the Christmas tree. Therefore, it is easy to see that many families are starting to display pine trees to bring the Christmas atmosphere to their homes.
The pine tree is an indispensable decoration every Christmas.
Finally, families with good conditions use fresh pine trees, while those with less favorable conditions use fake pine trees. However, if you belong to the group of people who like to display real pine trees in their homes, you need to think again. The reason is because according to a recent study in the UK, you are at high risk of suffering from a very unpleasant syndrome called: Christmas tree syndrome.
Specifically, experts from the British Asthma Foundation said that every year, about 300 people are hospitalized every Christmas season, with symptoms such as watery eyes, itchy nose, difficulty breathing, chest pain and loud coughing. These are also symptoms of “Christmas Tree Syndrome”.
So what is the reason? According to Dr. Andy Whittamore, the cause is due to parasitic fungi living on pine trees.
“Every house has a lot of fungi, few people know that mold also lives naturally on pine trees”.
“The situation is even worse if the house has a heating system. A warm atmosphere will help mold grow quickly, making it easier to cause allergies”.
If someone in your home has asthma, you should not keep a fresh pine tree in the house.
According to many articles and studies over the past decade, Christmas trees are a “nest” of abundant mold that can destroy our respiratory tract and ruin the happy moments of the holiday season.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), “If your allergies occur year-round, you may be allergic to mold spores or other fungi.”
Spores come in many different shapes and sizes, and they are always present in our environment – both indoors and outdoors. Mold spores become dangerous when they reach a certain level, they can make allergic people with asthma or other symptoms worse.
In another study from Upstate Medical University (USA), experts analyzed 28 Christmas tree samples and discovered up to 53 species of fungi. Of which, 70% were capable of causing symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, stuffy nose… Some even harm the lungs and bronchi.
According to Dr. Lawrence Kurlandsky – the author of the study, they realized something was wrong when the number of people hospitalized for respiratory illnesses increased abnormally before and after Christmas. Cause eventually identified as “Christmas Tree Syndrome”.
Of course, everyone’s immune system is different. If you or someone in your family has a history of asthma, or has a sensitive constitution, you may want to consider switching to a plastic Christmas tree to enjoy the full Christmas season.
