An Innovative framework for urban allergenic risk assessment: Perspectives from hazard to " Hazard-Exposure-Vulnerability"

Pollen allergies have emerged as a significant global concern, necessitating comprehensive mitigation strategies based on thorough evaluation of allergenic risk levels and identification of primary risk sources. While previous studies have largely focused on assessing the hazard levels of allergenic plants, they have overlooked the crucial aspects of exposure and vulnerability, limiting their effectiveness in allergenic risk management. This study addresses this gap by establishing a comprehensive allergenic risk assessment framework and demonstrating its practical implementation. Our research integrated two risk estimation approaches, focusing on Guangzhou's central zone and encompassing 269 plots across six types of urban green spaces (UGSs). Key findings reveal that: 1) Using two distinct risk assessment methods, 22.30 % and 18.96 % of samples exceeded the average risk level, with both older and newly developed urban areas identified as high risk zones, indicating inadequate attention to allergenic risk in the current urban planning. 2) A comparison between the hazard-solely approach and our proposed methods unveiled significant discrepancies, with risk overestimations exceeding 50 % for at least 33.09 % of samples. 3) Three distinct high allergenic risk patterns were identified, highlighting roadside and protective UGSs, comprehensive and specialized parks, and community parks as priority areas for management. These findings underscore the necessity of a multi-faceted approach to allergenic risk mitigation. Our framework provides a critical foundation for further research on urban allergy risk management and supports the development of comprehensive, city wide strategies to mitigate plant allergenic hazards.