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By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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Hay fever sufferers buckle up—we're in for a very "robust spring."
Roughly 1 in 4 American adults suffer from hay fever, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, which is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen. Therefore, the severity of the reaction is dictated by the amount of pollen that is released in a given year. And this year scientists have predicted a bumper season.
"In the northeast the pollen storm is already beginning," Leonard Bielory, an allergist, immunologist and professor of medicine at Hackensack meridian School of Medicine, told Newsweek. "Pollen is nothing more than the male reproductive component of a plant. Therefore, it looks for the prime time to reproduce.
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"Trees pollinate first, then grass and weeds. And we've found that the preceding season gives you a prediction of the pollen volume of the following season."
Rainy weather in particular is a pretty good indicator of pollen concentrations for the following pollen season. "April showers bring May flowers, but April showers also bring more grass pollen," Bielory said. "As for the tree pollen, it's actually the snow storms and precipitation in the winter. If you have no snow and no rain in the winter, you're going to have a lower pollen season. But this year in the northeast, we've had a lot of rain during the months, and we've actually started pollination a few days earlier."
As a result, Bielory warned that "it's going to be a very robust spring."
Indeed, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021 found that pollen concentrations across North America have increased by 21 percent since 1990, and the season is beginning 20 days earlier.
"As temperatures continue to rise, we can expect allergy seasons to become more severe and last longer," Bielory said. "This has a significant impact on public health, as allergies can exacerbate underlying conditions such as asthma and respiratory illness."
In addition to rising global temperatures, pollution can also contribute to seasonal allergy severity. "When you're in a big city, the air pollution acts as an adjuvant, as an irritant," Bielory said. "So if you are mildly allergic and you add in exposure to pollutants, these will already irritate your eyes and nose and then when you mix with pollen it all gets triggered. Whereas if you didn't have the pollutants to push you over the edge you would only be mildly affected."
To protect yourself from pollen, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a few helpful pointers:
- Check pollen forecasts and spend less time outside when pollen levels are high.
- Don't touch your eyes while outside and wash your hands as soon as you go in.
- Shower and change your clothes after being outside to remove pollen from your skin and hair.
- Keep windows closed during pollen season.
- Take allergy medications if necessary.
Is there a health problem that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
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