Info from Estonian Environmental Research Centre, www.klab.ee
Photos Arne Ader
Translation Liis
Hazel catkins
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Flower pollen is an allergen that is present in ambient air and intrudes with breathed air into the bronchi, causing allergic problems for pollen-sensitive people, for instance asthma and hay fever. From spring to autumn, during the flowering period of trees and plants, the concentrations of different kinds of pollen are high in the atmosphere.
Pollen allergy most frequently shows as pollinosis, also called hay fever, the reactions of eyes, nose and bronchi to pollen. Symptoms of pollinosis are for instance reddening of eyes, itching and tear flow, runny nose and sneezing, a heavy whistling breathing and coughing characteristic of asthma. In Estonia about 10% of the population suffer from pollinosis.
Alders and hazels which are among the main pollen allergy or pollinosis causing species started flowering already in early March. Their flowering may last until the end of April.
Soon the flowering of birches is to be expected, which is also a potent allergen. Depending on the weather the flowering period of birches starts from the second half of April until May and may last until June.
At the end of May grasses also start flowering. Their flowering period lasts until the end of summer since different species flower at different times.
In the second half of July another plant genus that causes strong allergenic reactions start flowering: the mugworts or Artemisia species, for instance mugwort and wormwood, with a flowering period that can last until September.
The levels of pollen of different plant species is shown on the Internet site of the Air Quality Management Department of the Estonian Environmental Research Centre: LINK
Pollen levels are monitored in Tallinn, Tartu, Kuressaare, Pärnu and Jõhvi
Alder catkins
