The Societat Catalana d'Al·lèrgia i Immunologia Clínica (SCAIC) and the Xarxa Aerobiològica de Catalunya (XAC), have presented the pollination forecast for this spring. During the event it was also presented the smartphone App Al K. Polen, which report the levels of pollens and spores of Catalonia where the user is located.

In Catalonia, a million and a half people suffer from some allergic disease, caused by pollen in 40% the of cases. In our country, pollens are considered the leading cause of rhinitis and the second cause of asthma. Therefore, the quantification of pollen grains is important to prevent the patients from high exposure to allergens.

To analyze what will be the situation this year in Catalonia, Eulalia Tauler, SCAIC vice president, Teresa Garriga of the SCAIC Committee of  Respiratory Diseases and Jordina Belmonte, coordinator of XAC at UAB, presented this morning (7 March 2013) the pollination forecast for this spring according to data provided by the XAC.

Cold weather in recent days has delayed the pollinations. When finished, pollen from cypress will disperse very strongly and cause allergies. The plane tree pollen will still take two to three weeks to be present. Parietaria, grasses and chenopodium will increase since mid-March and can be abundant, favored by recent rains. The pollinations in general can be important, unless it rains during daylight hours and the pollen is precipitated to the ground. To make predictions about olive tree pollen, alternaria and other particles of late spring, we have to wait and see what is the progress of the meteorology.


More Info:

Press Release (in spanish)
http://lap.uab.cat/aerobiologia/general/userfiles/files/Primavera_2013_NOTA_DE_PREMSA_2013-03-07_es.pdf

Presentation Teresa Garriga (in catalan)
http://lap.uab.cat/aerobiologia/general/userfiles/files/Primavera_2013_Presentacio_Teresa_Garriga_2013-03-07.pdf

Presentation Jordina Belmonte (in catalan)
http://lap.uab.cat/aerobiologia/general/userfiles/files/Primavera_2013_Presentacio_Jordina_Belmonte_2013-03-07.pdf