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Stockton allergies ranked 9th worse overall in nation
’Tis the season of runny noses, watery eyes and sniffly sinuses.
And if you live here and have allergies, chances are, you’re miserable.
It’s no wonder: The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America put Stockton at No. 9 on its 2005 Top 10 list of the worst places in the country for fall allergies.
The worse-than-average pollen score pushed the city up from its 77th place in last year’s survey.
It is the only city in the top 10 west of the Rocky Mountains. Chicago ranked No. 1.
Three cities in Florida were named among the top 10, including Tampa (No. 3), Daytona (No. 4) and Melbourne (No. 10).
Further down the list of the most challenging places for fall allergy sufferers to live are nearby Modesto and Sacramento at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively. San Francisco appears at No. 68.
The group said cities were selected based on environmental and medical factors, including pollen levels and allergy medication usage in each municipality.
More than 35 million Americans are affected by allergies, costing the U.S. economy more than $7 billion annually, according to the foundation.
Top 10 Fall Allergy Capitals
1. Chicago
2. Little Rock, Ark.
3. Tampa, Fla.
4. Daytona, Fla.
5. South Bend, Ind.
6. Dallas-Ft. Worth
7. Tulsa, Okla.
8. Oklahoma City
9. Stockton
10. Melbourne, Fla.
Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Allergies are the fifth leading chronic disease and a major cause of missed workdays each year, said Dr. Derek Johnson, an allergist at Temple University Medical Center in Philadelphia.
Extreme fall allergies should come as no surprise to those that suffer from them.
Area doctors estimate the symptoms actually started last spring — and continue through the summer and into the fall thanks, in part, to this area’s long agricultural harvest season.
Pollen that gets trapped in the San Joaquin Valley collects allergens and is not washed out until the rainy season begins, according to doctors.

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