April 29, 2016
allergies, allergy, allergy symptoms, Dr. Donald Dvorin, oak tree pollen, pollen, pollen count, The Asthma Center, tree pollen

“Trees aren’t through with us yet – so when you have a little bit of rain, it will only slow down the process – not stop it,” summarized Dr. Dvorin after analyzing today’s Pennsylvania and New Jersey air samples.

Tree pollen again today is very high.   In the Delaware Valley, tree pollen counts of 60-999 pollen grains per cubic meter of air in a 24 hours period are very high and may cause moderate to severe symptoms.

Compared to yesterday’s air sample, today’s overall tree pollen intensified by approximately 33%.  Thursday’s decreases in tree pollen volume were likely due to disturbances in the pollen process (rain and chilly temperatures.)  Today’s “bounce back up” is no fluke or technical malfunction—during the early morning hours when most pollen is released into the air, weather conditions were dry in the Delaware Valley.  Unfortunately for allergy and asthma sufferers, Tree pollen season is clearly not waning. As Dr. Dvorin said in yesterday’s blog, “Volume is never the whole story with pollen.”  Likewise today, there are more clues that tree pollen season is not “on it’s way out.”

Oak Tree Pollen continues to unquestionably dominate the count; however, at approximately 77% of all tree pollen. While Mulberry and Birch tree pollen are present in percentages similar to yesterday, the big news, is that these species have been surpassed by increases in Pine tree pollen and Juniper/Cedar tree pollen which today take 2^nd and 3^rd place respectively in prominence.  The surge in Pine pollen is one clue, and the variation in the composition of the air samples another clue—all pointing to the fact that Tree pollen season is not over.  Based on his experience and historical data, Dr. Dvorin expects Pine tree pollen to peak sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Additionally, today’s grass pollen counts are very low, and outdoor mold spores remain high.

Did you know?

If you live in the Delaware Valley (or were born here and now live elsewhere), you know the Jersey Pine Barrens are a source of pride.  Two things you may not know are:

• The New Jersey Pine Barrens are home to the biggest collection of Scrub or Pitch Pine on the US Eastern seaboard. Fossilized Pollen has been used to date this species back to the ice age!
• This large collection of Pine trees, whose pollen can sometimes at its peak be so thick it looks like a cloud of smoke, creates a unique challenge for allergy and asthma sufferers and the allergists who manage their care. We may take for granted that the Pine Barrens are part of our landscape and Pine pollen part of our air samples, but in many regions of the United States, this is not the case.  In fact, in areas where pines are few, and pine pollen exposure minimal or nonexistent, pine pollen is not considered “allergenic.”   While there may be some in our area who are still unaware of pine pollen and its effects, The Asthma Center includes pine tree pollen in our allergy skin test panel to determine allergic sensitivity.

Next Pollen and Mold Spore Count: Monday 5/3/2016

Be sure to check back in for The Asthma Center’s daily Pollen and Mold Spore Count, the Delaware Valley’s only Official count station which is certified by the National Allergy Bureau.  Subscribe to receive our daily counts by email or check out some of our other blog posts to learn more about what is in the air, how it can affect you, and what you can do about it.

Get Relief-Saturday appointments are available!

The best way to manage your allergies is to find out exactly what’s causing your symptoms. The Asthma Center has 9 locations in PA & NJ with the following Saturday hours in addition to our normal Monday – Friday business hours.

• May 7 and May 14: the Mount Laurel, NJ location will be seeing patients.
• May 14 and June 4: the Langhorne, PA office will be seeing patients