Horizon: Allergy Planet

Synopsis: Today we are in the grip of an allergy epidemic. 50 years ago one in 30 were affected, but in Britain today it is closer to one in three. Why this should be is one of modern medicine’s greatest puzzles. In search of answers, Horizon travels round the globe, from the remotest inhabited island to the polluted centres of California and the UK. We meet sufferers and the scientists who have dedicated their lives trying to answer the mystery of why we are becoming allergic to our world.

In Britain and America cases of asthma, eczema and hay fever have trebled in the last three decades and food allergies, virtually unheard of in the past, have increased by over 500%. The western world is in the grip of a growing epidemic. This film aims to uncover the facts behind this phenomenon by looking at the process of evolution, cutting edge research, and the truth behind the ''hygiene hypothesis’'. Are these irritations the price we have to pay for the privileged lifestyle we have chosen?
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 2009
Year of production: 2008
Notes: Broadcast on BBC2 on 9/12/2008
Subjects: Medical sciences
Keywords: allergies

Name: BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning
Contact: Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)
Email: BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com
Web: https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone: +44 (0) 20 8433 1009
Address: BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK
Notes: The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’

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