A Pollen Tsunami
An overload of pollen in the air is causing serious problems for allergy sufferers in the Northeast
BY CODY CRANE
Springtime means warmer weather and blooming flowers. But for people with allergies, it can also mean sniffling, sneezing, and red, watery eyes. This year has been especially bad for allergy sufferers in America’s Northeast. That’s because of a huge wave of pollen (a yellow, powdery substance produced by plants) sweeping across the region. Experts have nicknamed it a “pollen tsunami.”
Millions of people are sensitive to pollen. When breathed in, it can cause stuffy noses, scratchy throats, and itchy eyes. Worse, it can trigger asthma attacks. Even people who’ve never had allergies before are being affected by the recent surge of pollen—and the problem might be here to stay.
TRIPLE THREAT
Every spring, trees, grasses, and other plants grow flowers that contain pollen. The powder spreads through the air, fertilizing other flowers so plants can reproduce.
But the abundance (large quantity) of pollen this season is unusual. What’s behind the pollen explosion? In normal years, different plants release pollen at staggered times throughout the spring. This keeps pollen levels more or less even. But this year, an exceptionally long winter delayed some early-blooming plants from flowering—until now. They’re releasing pollen at the same time as later-blooming plants, as well as grasses, creating a perfect storm of pollen.
“It’s a triple whammy,” Dr. Clifford Bassett, the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, told NBC News. “The early- and mid-spring tree pollen and the grasses are hitting all at once to create misery and suffering.”
CHANGING CLIMATE
The pollen problem isn’t limited to the Northeast. Across the U.S., pollen counts—a measure of the amount of pollen particles in the air—have reached medium to high levels. And it looks like more pollen—and more misery for allergy sufferers—might become the norm.
Some scientists think climate change (a shift in global weather patterns) is causing pollen levels to rise. One study predicts that pollen counts will rise by 20 percent by 2020 and more than double by 2040. Climate change could also result in earlier springs, causing allergy season to stick around longer.
“No matter where you are, whether in a city, town, or suburb, pollens are here to stay. They’re rising,” says Bassett. “You need to be ready for this pollen storm and have a game plan in place.”