BOLZANO. Bad news for pollen allergy sufferers. The mild winter, the scarce rainfall and the good weather of these last few days show an increase in the amount of pollen in the air.
In South Tyrol, the Provincial Agency for the Environment, and in particular the Biological Laboratory, has been ensuring timely dissemination of information for almost thirty years with the weekly pollen bulletins and the three-day forecast, also available on your smartphone downloading thefree application “Pollen-app”.
Pollens from hazel and alder down, birch up
“If in recent weeks the pollens of cupressaceae, hazel, alder, elm and poplar present in the air have caused allergies”, he points out Alberta Stenico, director of the Biological Laboratory, “now the pollen spectrum has widened with the presence of pollen from common ash, willow, hop hornbeam and grasses, as well as the first pollen from urticaceous plants. Also birch pollen, among the main causes of hay feverwill tend to increase rapidly in the coming days, as shown by the analysis of the collected samples”.
Allergies also from non-native plants
“The main causes of pollen allergy are due to pollen from grasses and birch trees,” he points out. Magdalena Widmann, Head of the Pollen Information Service. “However, in recent years, other non-native plants have been added, which represent a source of considerable discomfort for allergic people. An example is theragweed, an invasive exotic plant originally from North America, very allergenic, which is spreading more and more here in Europe too; another example is the olive plant which, thanks to the warmer temperatures due to climate change, is increasingly present also in South Tyrol.
Useful tips for allergy sufferers
Sneezing, watery eyes, stuffy nose and itching are typical symptoms of a pollen allergy. It is contact with pollen that can trigger allergies. Here are some useful tips: reduce outdoor activity on sunny and windy days, especially in places where the plants responsible for your allergies grow, protect your eyes outdoors by wearing sunglasses and cap with visorshowering after spending time outdoors to wash off any pollen that may have become trapped in your hair during pollen season avoid drying laundry outdoorsin the case of travel consult the pollen calendars of the destination area.
Today, March 21, spring begins and since 2007 this day has been celebrated nationally as “National Pollen Day”.