MUNCIE, Ind. (Newslink) -- With warmer weather arriving, allergies are on their way. This brings people wondering if this year’s allergy season is worse than last year’s season.
According to Chairperson of the Geography Department and Associate Professor Petra Zimmermann the seasonal outlook shows we may have a wetter season this year; however, that does not mean allergies are out of the picture.
Zimmermann said wetter seasons bring different types of allergies, like allergies involving mold.
Zimmermann stated that there have been some warmer spells this season that could cause a rise in pollen and that an extended season could occur. With that being said, the probability of a season being worse than the last season is unknown.
“Remember last year we were indoors and now a lot of people are going outdoors. We have had a cold winter and then it got very warm last month, so we’ve had quite a few warm spells,” Zimmermann said.
With that being said, Zimmermann said that wind is what people need to pay attention to when it comes to allergies. Since wind kicks the pollen around, if there is more wind, then there will be more allergy symptoms. Also, if you are around more trees and plants, there will be more pollen.
“There are more trees, there is more pollen. More grass, there is more pollen. More plants, there is more pollen,” Zimmermann said.
Zimmermann also said she read studies that show people who have views of trees and vegetation tend to have brighter outlooks than someone just looking at concrete, stating plants do a lot more good than make some of us miserable in the spring because of the pollen.
If you are experiencing an increase in symptoms, Zimmermann said masks are great barriers for pollen intake.
For questions or comments, contact the author at klsehgal@bsu.edu.
