There can be endless debate about the best time to set up a Christmas tree, but the symbols of holiday cheer can pose an often-unheeded danger to people with asthma or allergies that means they may want to keep a live tree in the house only about a week.
That’s because of something called “Christmas tree syndrome,” a term allergist Dr. Lawrence Kurlandsky introduced with two studies suggesting that live Christmas trees can be covered in mould that can cause breathing issues. People with asthma or allergies are particularly susceptible, because 70 per cent of the moulds found in live trees can trigger severe asthma attacks, fatigue and sinus congestion.
Dr. Sharmilee Nyenhuis, an allergist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said some people who have mould allergies don’t realize the dangers of Christmas tree mould.
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