Ragweed: Public Enemy Number One

Ragweed (Lat. Ambrosia elatior) is not an indigenous plant in Europe. It was carried to the Old World at the end of the 19th century on commercial ships from its native land, North America. Ragweed was found for the first time in Switzerland in 1878, in Tirol in 1883, in Germany’s Brandenburg province in 1863, and in Hamburg in 1892. In the territory of today’s Hungary it appeared in the early 1920s, in the southern area of Somogy county.

The extremely adaptable plant easily got used to the climate of Europe, which does not differ from North American climate that much. It is no wonder that by the second half of the 20th century ragweed penetrated the old continent to an extent that it was said to be the most dangerous weed. Naturally, the fact that ragweed is highly allergen and keeps spreading its pollen in the air for a long period of time, even several months, has also contributed to its ‘success’. To be specific: its pollen season starts late July-beginning of August, and usually lasts until late autumn frost sets in. Usually ragweed is the weed of abandoned, fallow plots the soil of which was tampered, for instance large-scale investments, industrial plants, railway stations, housing estates, gardens – hence its Hungarian name (’grass of fallow lands’). The dicotyledonous plant which grows from seeds is especially hard to eradicate for its germs stay alive in the soil for as long as 30-40 years and only start to grow if the soil conditions are favourable for them.

Hay Fever: A Civilizational Epidemic

They say pollen allergy is a civilizational epidemic, since in the accelerated ’urban’ life of today the human immune system reacts more powerfully than it is necessary to foreign substances penetrating the body. Therefore allergy is basically the ’mistake’ of the human body, since the immune system reacts to harmless environmental substances like they were dangerous matters, and starts the production of antibodies against them. The syndrome of pollen allergy, also known as hay fever, is a result of the pollens of various plants attaching to mucous tissues (in the nose, eyes, throat), and the accompanying production of antibodies causes sneezing, running and blocked nose, itching of the nose and eyes, sore throat and mouth, furthermore red and wet eyes.

There are different ways to protect against the symptoms, which are obviously well-known for those who are allergic to pollen. The most effective method is avoiding areas infected by allergen plants, and the systematic eradication of weeds causing hay fever. Of course, there are plants – such as nuts, alder, birch, oak, maple, or gramineae and cereals – which are also allergens, but they cannot be eradicated. Those who are allergic to the aforementioned plants have to take medicine regularly for protection.

Contaminated Areas

But let us focus on ’public enemy number one’ alone, namely ragweed. Recent surveys reveal that the most contaminated areas can be found in the southwest (Somogy and Baranya county) and the eastern, southeastern parts (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Csongrád county) of Hungary. But we can find so-called medium contaminated areas nearly all over the country. Perhaps the Transdanubian Mountains and the Northern Mountains are the only exception, since the weed cannot survive on 400 metres above sea-level at all, or only with difficulties (though in France ragweed has been found above the altitude of 1,000 m…).

Medical reports prove that in the past decades the number of patients suffering from hay fever has doubled. Experts blame the ever-spreading areas covered with ragweed in the first place. It is not by accident, that these days the protection against this weed makes the whole society act as one, for decreasing the pollen concentration of ragweed and cutting down the areas covered with ragweed can only be implemented under organized circumstances. As of February 2004, the implementation of the national ragweed eradication programme has been coordinated by an inter-ministerial committee titled Inter-Ministerial Committee ’For A Ragweed-Free Hungary’. Its foundation has elevated the management and coordination of the fight against ragweed to governmental level for the first time. The Ministry of Defence joined the committee in 2005.

The Ministry of Defence To Fight Against Pollens

"The defence portfolio considers the eradication of ragweed an environmental, and a human-health issue", said Counsellor Ms Rita Balogh upon the inquiry of honvedelem.hu. The head of the environmental department of HDF Infrastructural Agency (HM IÜ) added: this task is implemented in the framework of the thematic sub-programme for national defence titled ’environmental health’, an element of the second part of the National Environmental Protection Programme announced for 2003-2008. This sub-programme is coordinated by the environmental protection department. The head of the department told us that the eradication of ragweed on the plots of land and facilities owned by the defence forces is implemented in practice in such a way that the specialist crew in charge of environmental protection and allocation regularly visit the training areas of the garrisons and report the level of ragweed contamination monthly. The compilation of these reports is the task of the environmental protection department. In case medium or highly contaminated areas are reported, they order scything from the service provider, namely HM EI Zrt. "The service provider scythes the green areas systematically in the barracks, as a part of their park maintenance activity. In the exercise grounds and shooting ranges we have the sprouting ragweed scythed as stipulated in the regulations, at least twice, but generally four-six times a year", added Counsellor Mr István Mészáros, a colleague of HM IÜ management supervision department. In addition to exercise grounds and shooting ranges, the eradication of ragweed in the old resorts and vacant facilities of the HDF gives the environmental and allocation experts of the Ministry of Defence the most work.

This year, for example, they had to have an area of 120,000 sqm scythed in the former exercise ground of the defence forces in Nagykanizsa. Though this land is not small, it is worth noting that a few years ago in the same location more than 220,000 square metres of land were covered with the allergen plant which has special leaves. Among the forces’ exercise and shooting ranges still in use, the one in Dóc, Csongrád county is the most heavily contaminated with ragweed. Here HM IÜ have scythed a land of 100,000 sqm this year alone. Of course, it does not mean – unfortunately – that other plots of land owned by the HDF are free from ragweed. The ’public enemy number one’ can be found for instance in Szomód, Hajdúhadház, or Táborfalva as well. But the plant can be found also in the exercise ground between Veszprém and Várpalota.

An Extra 30 Million Allocated This Year

Summarizing the data for last year, Rita Balogh told us that in 2007 they had a total of 2,172,400 sqm of land – owned by the HDF – scythed, which cost the Ministry of Defence slightly more than HUF 39 million. This year, until the last day of July, they made ragweed disappear from 721,545 sqm, but the majority of the work is still ahead, since the pollen season has just started. For 2008, HUF 70 million has been allocated for this purpose, but this amount includes the cost of the elimination of ticks and gypsy moths as well. But in the opinion of the head of the environmental protection department this amount will be more than enough to fund the implementation of the tasks. Rita Balogh also told us that since the Ministry of Defence has joined the inter-ministerial committee, it has considered the eradication of ragweed a priority issue. It is not by accident, that the ministry has not been fined for three years because of the weed. What is more, in 2006 the inter-ministerial committee granted a certificate of appreciation to the ministry for its engagement in the eradication of ragweed.