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Show Friday, Augutt 18, 2000, THE DAILY HERAIA (www.HirtTheHenldcom), Prove, Utah j wm total By PHILIP BRASHER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Allergy sufferers, beware: Global warming could bring more hay fever, according to government research that shows ragweed produces significantly more pollen as carbon dioxide increases. , The ubiquitous weed makes nearly twice as much pollen now as it did 100 years ago and will likely double its production again over the coming century with predicted increases in carbon dioxide levels, the . Department Agriculture study suggests. "This research may help us better understand the troubling impact of high carbon dioxide levels on our environment - - and - our health," Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said Tuesday. About 15 percent to 20 percent of the population has hay fever or allergic reactions to plant pollen, dust and other airborne and ragweed is particles the major cause of the problem in the fall. The plant is found all over the country and is particularly prevalent in the Northeast and Midwest. The pollen grains are so small that they can travel A laboratory study done by USDA in 1998 and 1999 many miles. found that ragweed pollen counts went from 5.5 grams per plant at carbon-dioxid- e levels that existed in 1900 to 10 grams at current levels. At predicted C02 levels in the year 2100, the pollen count would reach 20 grams per plant. Results of USDA's lab study are to be published in an upcoming issue of World Resource Review, a journal of climate-chang- e issues. Scientists at Harvard University are doing similar research this year. "This is a pretty good first sign" that climate change will be a problem Remains may be those of U.S. soldiers for allergy sufferers, said Cynthia Rosenzweig, a senior scientist at Columbia ' University's for Center Climate Systems Research. Many scientists believe a warming of the Earth has been under way for a century and has accelerated over the past 20 years. The warming has been linked to a "greenhouse effect" caused by manmade pollution and increased concentrations of . vate weed problems, and the effects on allergies and other health concerns have not been studied sufficiently, Rosenzweig said. Plants, which use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, react to the gas differently. An earlier study found that trees exposed to increased C02 grow 25 percent faster than those without it. The USDA 'researchers expanded their ragweed study this summer by the planting the weed in controlled conditions outdoors carbon dioxide in atmosphere. While that could be good for farmers, because higher levels of carbon dioxide would increase some crop yields, it also could aggra in Maryland. Plants that were set out in Baltimore, where it is e hotter and levels are higher than out carbon-dioxid- Page A13 side the city, are growing significantly faster than at a rural site, said Lewis Ziska, a plant physiologist who is leading the research. "The ones that are growing in the city are bigger and have more pollen, on the order of a third bigger," Ziska said. But even if pollen pro- j - gruw HO mo uuubiuu uuto UUi levels increase, it remains to be seen how that will affect individual allergy sufferers, doctors say. Sensitivity levels vary among people who are allergic to ragweed, said Robert Bush, an allergy specialist at the University of Wisconsin medical school. St 1 WASHINGTON (AP) a Tin j Kj.a. lUieuBica spetiuiiaia excavating sites in North Korea recovered remains believed to be, those of 14 American servicemen missing in action from the Korean War, officials said Thursday. The remains are to be flown aboard a U.S. Air from Force plane the North Pyongyang, Korean capital, to Yokota Air Base near Tokyo on Saturday for a United Nations Command repatriation ceremony. The remains will then be taken to the Army Central Identification Laboratory at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, for forensic examination and positive identification. The 14 sets of remains are the most recovered in a single operation since excavations began in 1996, WITH THE PERFECT CAR The A6 sedan and the A6 Avant 200 hp, e drive' Front and side airbag V6 engine quattro in Avantm for Celebration room seven Luxury Package including leather upholstery, supplemental restraint systems" Seating power glass sunroof and HomeLink remote transmitter Don't settle for anything less. Take a test drive at your local Audi dealer. CUTRUBUS MOTORS 1234 North Main LaytoaUT DAVE STRONG'S AUDI 1045 S. 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