I apologize for the length of this answer, but you struck a personal chord with this question and I needed to respond! I'm not sure exactly what you consider to be "allergies." And whether they are occurring more frequently due to environmental pollutants is really a mixed bag of answers. I'm an MCS victim, which is very relevant to this question. That means "Multiple Chemical Sensitivities". It's often called EI for Environmental Illness. I also have a multitude of assorted allergies to all sorts of things ranging from foods I eat, (usually things that grow from the ground) to things that are airborne that I inhale, to things I touch. Now these things can cause one set of syptoms called "allergic" reactions that result in histamine levels becoming elevated in my body and causing all manners of dastardly symptoms ranging from asthma to rashes, to coughing, to gagging, to stomach pains, etc, etc. Then, on the other side of my medical condition coin is the MCS--the condition that results from chemical injury to one's tissues over the years. That can happen with repeated exposure to chemicals found in a huge assortment of products manufactured and used on this planet every day. Most of them are not even known to exist by most people, and are not harmful to the majority of people, but they are extremely hazardous to those of us who are already victims of chemical damage to our internal organs and tissues. My case was caused by my being a hair stylist and a heavy smoker for twenty-three years. This creates a plethora of symptoms and also compromises our immune systems so we are likely to catch everything else out there that could kill us. Hence the secondary name: Chemical Aids. The illness is similar, but the cause is different. It is not a virus, but a chemical injury that weakens our immunity. These chemicals can be fragrances in hair products, fabric softener, colognes, hand lotions, etc. They can be paint or odorless adhesives, bulding supplies like drywall or tile adhesive, They can be chemicals with or without odors, such as natural gas, formaldehyde (present in carpeting, polyesters, and vinyl) gasoline, preservatives or alcohol. They must use alchohol-free wipes on my arm to give me a shot, and my dentist must use latex-free gloves. Of course, exhaust fumes, ozone, insecticides, chlorine in water, preservatives in our foods and even contact lense solutions are all my enemies. Note: All the chemicals in fabric softener are hazardous to EVERYONE, even without fragrance. They just don't advertise that. Many more are chemicals found in our fabrics, our disinfectants, vinyl shower curtains, cleaning products, plastics, newsprint and magazine ink, our furniture upholstery, that often contains formaldehyde, and the list goes on and on. I can't even take most medications for other conditions because they are chemicals. I had lung surgery 12 years ago, and now have pain with no pain relieving drugs I can take. I also have arthritis and cough uncontrollably if I take Celebrex or aspirin. I get chest pains if I take Tylenol. What a joy chemicals are for me. I had to leave the chapel area at my daughter's wedding because a guest near me was wearing strong cologne and I was drowning out the minister with my coughing! I missed the whole thing, just as I missed my other daughter's law school graduation. For MCS patients, life just passes us by. Now, the final lesson is the difference in these two conditions. Evironmental Medicine does not refer to chemical offenders as allergens or the symptoms as "allergies" because technically they do not create the same HISTAMINE elevation in the body as an actual "allergic" reaction causes. The symptoms caused by chemical exposures (which we call chemical attacks) are referred to as Chemical Sensitivities, not allergies. These sensitivites can result in symptoms such as severe chest pain or tightness, muscle and joint pain, numbness, dragging of our leg, dizziness, tingling, trembling or tremors in the extremities, burning in the chest, visual disturbances, mental confusion, difficult breathing, severe coughing, severe and sudden neck pain, and the list goes on and on again. Studies reveal they may even be the cause of many neurological illnesses like Parkinsons or Alzheimers, or MS, which are still being researched. The chemical damage also makes us more vulnerable to regular, but severe food and seasonal allergies. They also compromise our thyroid, kidneys and blood pressure. 'See why I couldn't just say simply that the allergies occur more frequently due to environmental pollutants? There are too many misinterpreted answers to that, but to summarize, I would have to say, Yes, it is highly likely that it is true. And my life, secluded in my house, going out no more than three or four times a year, because I'm just too sick, would definitely be evidence that we really do have to do something to eliminate these chemicals from our planet! How ironic it is, that all those products that proudly proclaim on their labels that they use only recycled materials, are my warning to STAY AWAY! The reason? Because the adhesives and disinfectants they use to recycle the materials are toxic to me. Just as the disinfectancts in all the medical facilities are toxic to me, and the vinyl cannule through which I must breathe oxygyn is a chemical assailant for me, and why I cannot even get adequate medical care because all the materials involved in it are toxic. They disinfect everything, the beds and pillows are covered in plastic, then formaldahyde-filled polyester. The doctors and nurses come in wearing fragranced hair products and fabric softeners, and latex gloves. A hospital is the most hazardous place for me! That's how my mother died. After going into the hospital for tests due to blurred vision when she was 66--she died two weeks later there, and the doctors didn't know why. Her systems just started shutting down and they didn't know what to do. I now know the hazards of chemicals in a condition like mine, and also that she had the same thing all her life, but never got to the right doctors to diagnose it. I hope this answers your question. and enlightens others about the hazards of chemicals. We victims of MCS have to hope that someone famous is stricken with it to gain the attention it needs for more research and more awareness to make our lives more bearable--just like Michael J. Fox and Mohammed Ali raised awareness for Parkinsons disease. By the way, my grandmother and uncle both had Parkinsons, but nobody ever heard much about it when I was a kid back in the Fifties.