What Is a Pollen Count?
Pollen counts measure the amount of airborne allergens present in the air. Counts are compiled by a variety of methods. Pollen counts are reported as grains per cubic meter of air. Certified aeroallergen counters at many universities, medical centers and clinics provide these counts on a volunteer basis. How do you acquire pollen counts? The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has a network of pollen counters across the United States. Each counter works under the direction of an AAAAI member and must first pass an intensive certification course. Counters use air sampling equipment to capture air-borne pollens. The number of pollen grains collected are then counted and logged. How is a pollen count interpreted? Interpretation of pollen and mold counts and their relationship to symptoms is complex. Sampling techniques such as the type of device used and its location within the community can affect counts. While many patients develop symptoms when pollen counts are 20-100 g
Printer Friendly Version addthis_pub = ‘wearecentralpa’; addthis_brand = ‘wearecentralpa.com’; addthis_options = ’email, favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, facebook’; addthis_offset_left = -110; addthis_newurl = location.href; addthis_newurlprefix = (location.href.indexOf(‘?’)) ? ‘&’ : ‘?’; addthis_newurl += addthis_newurlprefix+’shr=addthis’; Reported by: Chief Meteorologist Joe Murgo Tuesday, Apr 14, 2009 @12:47pm EST Our station provides a local pollen count each night at 11pm and then again in the morning. There are also other sources for a pollen count, but I thought it would be good to actually understand what a count is. First of all, a big thanks to Doctors Rosch and Jeffries who provide us with such a good local count as local is the only way to go. Each day, a glass rod is placed into a machine. This rod has a gel that is placed onto it and then is spun for 24 hours. The spinning increases the interaction with the air which then captures pollen and spores that are airborne.
Pollen counts measure the amount of airborne allergens present in the air. Counts are compiled by a variety of methods. Pollen counts are reported as grains per cubic meter of air. Certified aeroallergen counters at many universities, medical centers and clinics provide these counts on a volunteer basis.
For people who suffer from hay fever and certain other allergies, it’s important to know how much pollen is in the air. Some people who are very sensitive to pollen go away during peak pollen seasons, and they want to know what the pollen count is before they return home. A pollen count is, quite simply, a count of pollen grains
