A six week pilot study campaign of parallel measurements of particulate
matter (PM10) and pollen has been carried out during the
pollination season of grass pollen in May/June 2011 in the city of
Berlin. The measurements run as 24 h daily samplings at three
monitoring sites, characterized as inner-city, suburban and traffic
locations with different vegetation influences. The results show
the highest burden for urban public health at the traffic hot-spot,
both for PM10 and grass pollen. Furthermore, for both good correlations
were found between the sites. Sound correlations have
been determined between concentrations and daily maximum
temperature. On several days grass pollen concentration in densely
populated parts of the city reached health relevant threshold
values that are required to initiate allergenic symptoms. Official
statistics identified peak grass pollen burden for Berlin and the
Eastern part of Germany during the study campaign.