Athletes allergic to Sochi?

The Norwegian alpine skier Aksel Lund Svindal recently withdrew from his final event at the Sochi Olympics, citing as cause allergies and the effects of medications used to combat itchy eyes and a runny nose.

Dr. Chris Carlsten, an AllerGen Principal Investigator who researches the health effects of air pollution, was contacted from Sochi, Russia, to comment on the possible role of the city’s concrete dust in causing allergic symptoms in Olympic athletes. Read Dr. Carlsten’s comments in the February 19 Toronto Star article.

Dr. Carlsten is the Chair in Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease and Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of British Columbia (UBC).