Allergy Planet

Wednesday July 28 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

In Britain and America cases of asthma, eczema and hay fever have tripled in the last three decades and food allergies, virtually unheard of in the past, have increased by over 500%. Are we becoming allergic to the 21st Century?

Historically allergies barely registered on the health agenda, but today with 1.2 billion allergy sufferers around the world, it is a phenomenon that is impossible to ignore. Not only are the number of allergy sufferers increasing year on year, but the allergies doctors are treating are getting more severe. The western world is in the grips of a growing epidemic. Allergy Planet uncovers the facts behind this terrifying phenomenon.

Driven by the lives of remarkable and compelling characters like 8-year-old Danny, for whom a life threatening dog allergy makes venturing out of the house a constant danger, and 10-year-old Margharita, whose entire world is dictated by the 896 things she is allergic to, the film discovers what life with allergies is really like.

This is a truly global adventure, travelling from the most remote island in the world to the industrial heartlands of Texas, from the farms of Poland to the African savannah. Allergy Planet finds out how allergies are influenced by our genes; witnesses first hand the potential damage caused by the environment in which we live; and finds out the extent to which some allergies may be all in the mind.

Delving into scientific mystery, Allergy Planet seeks answers to intriguing questions. Find out whether there is any truth in the famous 'hygiene hypothesis', which posits that the eradication of sickness and disease may be responsible. The film delves into cutting edge research which suggests that the way we treat our skin barrier may be more important than we ever realised, and discovers the protective effect of the unique microbial ecosystem that lives on us and in us.

Finally, by going back to our ancient past Allergy Planet explores the evolutionary reasons why allergies exist. Have we have created a world mismatched to our biology, and are allergies the price we have to pay for the privileged lifestyle we have chosen?

Producer Naomi Austin