this is bad science! (Score 1)

This article is assuming causality ('too clean' -> allergy) where there is some evidence of correlation at best. How about confounding variables? I can come up with a number of equally plausible explanations, eg the difference in diet between between industrialised countries (too much food, bad quality food full of chemicals and hormones) and non-industrialised countries? I grew up in rural Russia - have not really heard of allergies until moved to the west. To this day people there go to the forest to pick mushrooms/berries etc. but less so than when I was a boy. Outside main cities lots of people have what is called 'dacha' where many grow their own fruit and veg. Again less so than how it was when I was a boy. And there are considerably more people with allergies now, including of some of my close relatives.

Or here is another one- air and water pollution. Here is some empirical prove: Donbass used to be an industrial powerhouse of Soviet Union and it was one the most polluted places I've ever been to. I don't want to make sweeping generalisations but I visited my relatives there when I was a kid and believe me the locals (mostly miners and factory workers) had little resemblance with the 'clean type' described by the article. I know lots of people there suffered from astma in those days.

Also, there is no doubt in my mind it's good for kids to play outdoors, close to the nature - for many reasons. However I leave in the UK and just about any even remotely like 'wild' outdoors here is contaminated with dog shit - you literally can't walk around the woods without steeping into one. Yes, there is Scotland and Wales - but that's not where most of the people are. There is also your own garden - good if you can afford a big one for your children to go wild. You also can take your kids to the park where can walk around with you (boring!) or play in designated places games that local council pre-planned for them (boring!). If you want to do what the article suggests you are on your own - dealing with the dog shit, which I doubt anyone would claim is good for kids.