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Nothing to sneeze at: Global warming triggers earlier pollen

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A new study finds that pollen season and its awful nasal drips is coming earlier and hitting harder — and that's because of global warming.

Monday's study is the first to use accepted scientific methods to attribute worsening allergies in the United States directly to human-caused climate change.

The study finds that since 1990 pollen season has started about 20 days earlier in the U.S. and Canada and pollen loads are 21% higher.

Pollen is nothing to sneeze at.

Experts say asthma, often triggered by allergies, can cost the U.S. $80 billion a year with hospitalizations up and test scores dropping for pollen-hit students.