Richmond named the ‘sneeziest and wheeziest’ U.S. city

Richmond is the “sneeziest and wheeziest” city in the U.S, according to report looking at the effects of pollen and pollution in 35 urban areas.

The report issued Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that ragweed pollen and ozone smog are aggravating respiratory health problems such as asthma.

Last year, Richmond was named the U.S. Asthma Capital by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and the No. 2 asthma capital in its 2015 report, behind Memphis, which was No. 2 in 2014.

The top spots each year are reserved for the metro area with the greatest concentration of negative factors that can potentially affect asthma patients, NRDC notes.

Contributing to Richmond’s status as a leading asthma capital are high pollen levels and numbers of asthma-related emergency room visits, the report said.

The report says the following cities face possible threats to respiratory health from ragweed pollen and ozone pollution:
1. Richmond
2. Memphis, Tenn.
3. Oklahoma City
4. Philadelphia
5. Chattanooga, Tenn.
6. Chicago,
7. Detroit
8. New Haven, Conn.
9. Allentown, Pa.
10. Atlanta
11. Pittsburgh
12. Louisville
13. Springfield, Mass.
14. Milwaukee
15. Dayton, Ohio
16. Cleveland
17. Toledo, Ohio
18. Little Rock, Ark.
19. Bridgeport, Conn.
20. Akron, Ohio
21. Indianapolis, Ind.
22. Providence, R.I.
23. Cincinnati
24. Wichita, Kan.
25. Harrisburg, Pa.
26. Nashville, Tenn.
27. Hartford, Conn.
28. Phoenix
29. Knoxville, Tenn.
30. Jackson, Miss.
31. Dallas
32. Los Angeles
33. Youngstown, Ohio
34. Columbus, Ohio
35. Orlando